


stuck on you

by Vitexy



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Anal Fingering, Blow Jobs, M/M, Miscommunication, Old Flames, Slice of Life, slight trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-18
Updated: 2020-04-18
Packaged: 2021-02-23 10:47:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 22,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23710273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vitexy/pseuds/Vitexy
Summary: Yunho has been essentially stuck in the past for the last two years in his sleepy small town until an old flame comes back trying to rekindle an old relationship.
Relationships: Choi San/Jeong Yunho
Comments: 21
Kudos: 179





	stuck on you

**Author's Note:**

> If you know the reference of the cat's name you're the GOAT. 
> 
> This thing was distracting me from my other story so I finally finished this so now I can finish the other one.

The alarm goes off at 6AM sharp like it does every day. And like every day, Yunho hits the snooze button and struggles for twenty minutes to actually drag himself out of bed. Usually a soft little meow is what coaxes him from the pile of blankets he burrowed himself into the night before. He drags himself out from under his blankets and the mattress he set up on the floor of the spare bedroom and crawls his way to the closet for his work uniform. 

Combing his hands through his hair he blinks blearily at the black and white cat peering at him from the doorway. Her head is all he can see, and as soon as she notices his staring she backs out and disappears. “I’ll feed you in a minute,” he mumbles to himself. First he needs a shower. 

His shower is quick as it always is because he never actually gets up in time to take a nice, long one. He emerges from the bathroom dressed in his work uniform with a towel draped over his head. The cat isn’t anywhere to be seen as he walks into the kitchen. He places a tea kettle on the stove and heats it up before walking to the tiny laundry room adjacent to the kitchen where he drops his towel off. He makes a note of the growing pile of towels and clothes in front of the washing machine. He needs to do the laundry soon. 

In the kitchen the tea kettle begins to just barely whistle as the water heats up, and he digs through the pantry for a can of tuna and his container of instant coffee. He opens the tuna and leaves it aside on the counter for the cat. She usually eats it while he’s gone. Then he checks her little water dispenser to make sure it’s full. 

The tea kettle begins to sing. He walks over to the stove, reaching into one of the cupboards for a little mug. Turning off the stove, he pours the hot water into his cup. He dumps two spoonfuls of instant coffee into the water and stirs it together as he checks the time on his phone. It’s 6:50 and he needs to leave or he’ll be late. Fuck. 

Without a second thought he dumps his coffee into the sink and grabs his bag by the foot of the couch. He calls out a goodbye to the cat and leaves the apartment. 

It’s the same every day.    
  
  
  


“Hey,” Seonghwa greets him like he always does when Yunho walks into the coffee shop. 

Still, the younger man startles as if he never expects the greeting. He shoots the dark haired man a polite smile and mumbles back a barely audible, “good morning,” in return. 

“Here,” the elder offers when Yunho comes out of the back room with his apron on. He hands the younger man a small mug steaming with a coffee. “Black with just one packet of sugar,” he tells him with a little smile. “Just the way you like it.” 

“Thanks,” Yunho says before taking a small sip. Technically he shouldn’t have this, and, if he does, he should be drinking it in the back room, but Seonghwa seems to enjoy bending a lot of rules. Seonghwa is the son of the owners of the coffee shop, and basically acts as Yunho’s manager most of the time. He isn’t sure if the elder gets paid like a manager though. 

Yunho likes him because he does things like this. He makes Yunho a cup of coffee every day when he comes in and lets him keep it on the counter while he works. But he’s also not exactly Yunho’s favorite either because—“How are you today?” he flinches at the question. He’s probably just being polite, but Yunho can’t help but find those kinds of questions intrusive. 

“Fine,” he answers with a shrug of his shoulders. 

Seonghwa’s smile falters a little, but he doesn’t comment on the obvious lie. He tried once, and Yunho refused to acknowledge him for the rest of the day, so he allows that type of answer to slide. 

  
  
  
  
  


The summers here are unbearably hot. It’s still spring, quickly seeping into summer, but the highs are already reminiscent of summer weather. Yunho stops by the convenience store a couple blocks away from work during his break to pick up a popsicle When he goes up to pay, Mingi is kneeling in front of a fan he has propped up on a chair, waving his friend off as he enjoys the wind blowing in his face. 

“It’s not that hot in here,” Yunho points out as he opens the wrapper. 

Mingi glares at him from over his shoulder. “You work in a nice little coffee shop with a working AC, and you have the  _ audacity _ to tell me that it’s not that hot?” he complains. “My parents just tell me to open all the windows and give me this blasted thing, but then all the mosquitoes come in. You know me. Mosquitoes love my blood.” 

Yunho sticks his watermelon popsicle in his mouth before reaching down in front of the little cash register at the front of the store. He grabs a box and places it on the counter for Mingi to see. It’s a box of an anti-itch lotion. Mingi lunges for it, chucking it at Yunho’s head. “Pity me!” he demands. Yunho bends down to pick up the box from the floor and places it back where he found it. Mingi sighs. 

“How’s Mona?” he asks. 

“Avoids me,” Yunho answers with a shrug. She’s never really liked him but seems to realize that Yunho is the only source of food around right now. “She runs away if she knows I’m looking.” 

Mingi giggles at the notion. “What about your brother?” 

Yunho is quiet for a moment. “He’s...okay,” he eventually says. “I’m going to see him next week.” 

“That’s good.” The redhead turns up the power of his fan, sighing at the cool air against his skin. Yunho bites into his popsicle as he checks the time on his phone. He still has about twenty minutes before he needs to be back so Seonghwa can go on his break. “What about San?” Yunho pauses before slowly lifting his gaze up to his friend. Mingi nervously taps his fingers against his thigh. “Have you heard from him recently?” 

No, is the honest easy answer. He hasn’t. The last time he and San had talked had been a very brief conversation on his birthday. It was just a short exchange of “happy birthday” and “thank you” before the conversation inevitably died. Yunho supposes they probably won’t talk again until July when San’s birthday rolls around and they exchange the same, curt conversation. 

“I guess,” he answers instead because he doesn’t want Mingi to worry. They’re living apart now. San grew up and moved on. It’s only natural that they grow distant, so Yunho doesn’t worry too much about it, but Mingi asks about him all the time. “Why do you ask?” 

“I mean, summer’s coming soon. He’s coming back for the break, right?” 

Yunho takes another bite of his popsicle. He’s not, he thinks to himself. They had a short conversation about this when San came home for Christmas break. He asked him about it at the time, thinking maybe they could make some plans together, but San had shook his head with a regretful smile. 

“Sorry,” he said. “It’s just, my freshman year roommate and I found an apartment off campus, so I don’t have to come home over the summer. I thought I’d get, like, a summer job to save up some money, you know?”

Yunho thinks he did a pretty good job of concealing his disappointment. He’d just smiled and nodded his head. Yeah, he completely understood. 

“He said he isn’t coming this year,” Yunho says quietly. 

Mingi’s mouth drops open in disbelief. “What?” 

Yunho shrugs his shoulder. “I mean, it’s his choice. He has stuff to do. I don’t know.” He checks the time again as he finishes off the last of his popsicle. He still has some time left, but he feels suddenly suffocated in the cramped little convenience store. “Anyways, I gotta get back to work. Seonghwa is waiting for me so he can take his lunch break.” He waves at his friend as he walks towards the exit. 

  
  
  
  
  


San isn’t coming for the summer. That’s what Yunho told Mingi because that’s what he last heard, so he’s unsure of what to do when he stares at his phone while eating some leftover fried rice he made a couple days ago. 

_ Hey. _

_ I’m coming home _ . 

He furrows his brows, locking his phone as he takes another bite. He hadn’t expected to hear from San out of the blue like this. They’re not on bad terms or anything, but they don’t exactly talk all the time either. It occurs to him when he’s done eating that San can tell that he read the message but hasn’t responded, so he picks up his phone to at least respond. 

_ Oh. For the summer? _

_ Did you change your mind? _

It’s...something at least. 

“Mona,” he calls after pouring out a little bit of cat food for her. He slides the bowl to a corner of the counter where she likes to eat before walking away. He rarely ever sees her, but he’s the only one who can take care of her for now, so he tries not to take it personally. She’s never really liked him anyways. She only likes his brother. 

His phone vibrates in his pocket. 

_ For the year _ . 

Yunho stares at the message pensively. San doesn’t answer his second question, and Yunho doesn’t even know how to respond to this new message. For the year? What about school? There’s no way he’s graduated from university yet. 

_ Okay _ .

It’s the only response he can really manage. It doesn’t feel right to voice any kind of excitement, and now doesn’t really seem like the time to attempt to make any plans. Maybe he should ask if something’s happened? Or maybe he should ask about his school work? He doesn’t though because he knows he wouldn’t want anyone to ask him those kinds of questions either. 

When he checks later that night, he sees that San has read his message but didn’t respond.    
  
  
  


“You want next Saturday off, right?” Seonghwa asks him as Yunho is putting on his apron in the back room. The younger man looks over to him. 

“Um, yeah.” He slips the apron on and wraps the straps around his waist to tie it. “Is it not possible? I had plans, but I guess they can be rearranged if I have to.” 

Seonghwa shakes his head. “No, no. It should be fine.” He has a mug of coffee in his hand as usual which he hands to Yunho when he’s done with his apron. “I just wanted to make sure so I can plan for Mom or Dad to help me out that day.” He smiles at the younger man who takes the mug with a small thanks. It’s both for the coffee as well as his willingness to give Yunho the day off. 

“What do you have planned that day?” Seonghwa asks curiously, a sly smile on his lips. “Do you have a date?”

Yunho freezes up at the question so quickly some of the coffee sloshes out of the cup and spills onto his hands. He hisses at the burn, though he stops himself from dropping the cup. He places it on the counter by the sink and quickly washes off his hands with cold water. “Sorry,” the elder apologizes as he grabs a dry towel for Yunho to wipe his hands off on. “I didn’t mean to startle you. I was just curious if it was something good.” 

Yunho shakes the water off his hands before taking the towel Seonghwa offers to him. “It’s...it’s not a date,” he says. “I’m not—I don’t have anyone, uh, like that.” 

“Of course,” Seonghwa says. “I’m sorry. That was quite presumptuous of me. I didn’t mean—”

“It’s fine,” Yunho interrupts, unable to hear the elder bumble for any longer. 

“Then, what are your plans on Saturday?” he probes. 

Yunho picks up the cup of coffee with shaky fingers. “I’m just going to spend time with some family.” 

“Oh.” Then Seonghwa’s eyes widen in realization. “O-oh. I see.” Yunho rushes past him and out to the front counter. He doesn’t say anything more, but he doesn’t need to. Pretty much everyone in town knows his brother’s story, and Yunho is kind of sick of it. He wishes, more than anything, that nobody would know. That nobody would send him pitying or judgmental looks whenever his brother is brought up in conversation. 

He’s sick of it. 

  
  
  
  
  


Summer comes, but nothing in Yunho’s life changes. He still wakes up early every morning to feed the cat and get ready for work. He still bothers Mingi during his lunch break, usually just snacking on something at the convenience store while Mingi tries to keep himself cool in front of his fan. Seonghwa still badgers him about how he’s doing every day, but Yunho has learned to mostly tune him out. He still visits his brother as often as he can which isn’t nearly enough, but the prison has limits for visitors. 

Nothing is really different, until one day it suddenly is. 

“Dude, I thought you said San wasn’t coming for the summer,” Mingi immediately says to him when he pops into the convenience store for his lunch break. 

Yunho stares at his friend for a moment because had he not mentioned that? He racks his brain for the memory before realizing that the last they talked about it, he said that San wasn’t coming back. “Oh, yeah. He changed his mind.”

“You didn’t mention that!” Mingi accuses. 

“I forgot,” he shrugs, going to the back of the store to grab a can of soda. He’s suddenly not really hungry today. “How did you find out anyways?” 

“He and his mom stopped by the other day to pick up some snacks.” Oh, so he must be in town already, Yunho muses. “He asked about you.” 

“He didn’t tell me he was in town already,” Yunho mumbles mostly to himself. 

“Maybe he’s just too busy unpacking or something? He said he would be here for a while,” Mingi suggests. Yunho just hums in agreement. He’s not miffed about it or anything, just hadn’t realized that it was already summer. People were out of school for the next few months. “So?” Mingi presses in that annoying way he tends to do sometimes, but Yunho only fixes him with a blank stare. 

“What?” he asks after a beat of silence, opening his drink. 

Sighing, the redhead messes up his hair. “You know, I would have thought the heat would be the cause of all this stress and sweat, but I’m starting to think it’s you and the tension between you and San.” 

“What tension?” Yunho asks in confusion. They don’t have any tension between them. They’re probably not even close enough for any kind of fights to lead to tension, but they’ve also not really fought in a long time anyways. “We’re on good terms.” 

Mingi picks up his fan in a threatening manner, like he actually intends to throw it at Yunho. He doesn’t even flinch though because he knows the redhead wouldn’t risk it. “I swear to—you’re just doing this on purpose to make me angry now, aren’t you? I don’t mean  _ that _ kind of tension. I meant your  _ sexual _ tension.” 

Without a word, Yunho takes a sip of his drink, grimacing a little when the carbonation burns the back of his throat. “Oh. I don’t really think we have that either.” 

“You’re kidding.” 

“Mingi, it’s been like two years,” Yunho points out with a roll of his eyes. “I’m over it.” 

“Yeah, but like—” 

“We’re both adults now, and we have our own things to worry about.” He runs his finger over the circumference of the can. “I have other things to worry about.” 

“I get it,” Mingi defends himself. “I just...don’t you think you guys should talk?” 

“We do talk.”  _ Occasionally _ , Yunho omits. “It never comes up.” The redhead sets his fan back on the chair with a long, drawn out sigh which Yunho smiles at. “What’s the big deal anyways? You’re so concerned about it.” 

Mingi leans his elbows on the front counter, tugging at the collar of his t-shirt and fanning himself with it. “I just remember how happy you used to be whenever you guys were together. And, just, you’ve seemed really down ever since—well, you know. I’m just worried about you.” 

“I appreciate it, but you don’t have to worry  _ that _ much about me,” Yunho tells him jokingly. “And I am happy.” 

His friend smiles at him though it’s not a real one. “You’re a liar, Jung Yunho.” 

Yunho just shrugs and takes another sip of his soda. 

  
  
  
  
  


It occurs to Yunho that San is actually back when he comes into the coffee shop a few days later. He knows, of course, that he’s around, and it’s a small town. Ostensibly they’re bound to run into each other at some point over the summer, but it doesn’t fully register until he actually sees him in person. 

And at first he doesn’t even recognize him. 

When the blond comes into the coffee shop, Yunho scrambles to put down his mug of coffee before plastering his usual customer service smile on. “Morning,” he greets when the customer approaches, “what can I get for you?” 

“Yunho!” the customer greets him when he gets to the counter, a smile on his face. 

Yunho blinks at him. He definitely recognizes that smile. “San?” he asks. 

“Yeah, it’s me!” the blond beams at him. Yunho spends a moment taking in the other’s appearance. San hasn’t really changed much in Yunho’s opinion. His sense of style seems to have matured a little bit from the plain t-shirt and jeans from high school, and he’s dyed his hair a nice, light blond color. He must have dyed it sometime over the spring because Yunho certainly isn’t used to the color. He’s pretty, is the first thought that crosses Yunho’s mind, and he mentally berates himself for thinking that. “Sorry for dropping by so suddenly. I probably should have texted you or something. Mingi told me that you work here.” 

Yunho snaps out of his daze. “Oh. It’s no problem,” he says. “I figured we’d run into each other eventually.” 

“Right?” San agrees. 

“Well, can I get you anything?” 

“Um, just a small iced Americano. Sweetened, please.” 

“Sure.” Yunho leaves the register to head over to the espresso machine. 

“So, how have you been?” San asks, moving along with Yunho. To be honest, he has a hard time hearing him over the noise of the espresso machine. He can’t really see the blond either. 

“Good,” he answers mechanically as he shovels some ice into a cup. “How about you?” He wants to ask what this whole thing is about. Why has San suddenly decided to come back for the summer? No, for the whole year? Did something happen? Did he just need a break from university? 

“I’m okay,” San hums in response, and Yunho doesn’t press because as much as he wants to ask all those things he doesn’t. He knows that he wouldn’t want to be put under a microscope like that, so he doesn’t do that to him. Yunho hands over the iced Americano to the blond who hesitantly takes it. “Um, what about paying?” he asks, holding up his wallet with his free hand. 

Yunho glances around the shop, but he doesn’t see Seonghwa. He’s probably in the back finishing up a batch of baked goods. With a shrug, Yunho waves him off and says it’s on him. 

“I thought we could talk a little,” San says, following Yunho back to the register when he goes to post himself up there. He hesitates and glances around. There’s really nobody around. They don’t get a whole lot of business minus the typical 8AM rush to work. Really, it’s probably fine, and he doubts Seonghwa would be angry at him, but he still says, “I’m working.” 

“Ah, I mean, of course.” San looks down at his iced drink dejectedly. “What about later?” 

“I’m working a double today,” Yunho tells him, averting his gaze because he can’t look at San right now. “Maybe another day?” he suggests. 

“Yeah...text me when you’re free, okay? You have my number.” 

Yunho nods his head in agreement. Sounds fair enough. San leaves with a small wave of his hands which Yunho mirrors, and as soon as he’s gone the little smile he’s trained himself to wear whenever a customer is around drops. 

He forgets to text San. 

  
  
  
  
  


The thing about him and San and this whole  _ sexual tension _ thing Mingi likes to go on about is that they have a history. A pretty tangled history, but a history nonetheless. They met when they were just kids on the playground. Yunho had pulled San off the monkey bars because it was his turn to play. Though when San had burst into tears because he scraped his knees on the gravel, Yunho had apologized and started crying too. That’s how their mothers found them, just sitting on the ground wailing at each other. They’d been friends since. 

Growing into their teenage years, they were inseparable. It was hard to find one without the other, and Yunho still remembers after he befriended Mingi in math class how jealous San had initially been. He would make snide comments to the taller boy with a pleasant smile on his face, but Mingi—bless his heart—was too oblivious to even notice. It had been one of the few rough spots in their friendship, but they worked it out together, and San learned to accept Mingi. 

In high school things were largely the same. If the same meant they would occasionally sneak out of class together on the premise of needing to use the restroom just to make out in one of the stalls together. It was a habit that occurred more often than might be socially acceptable. Mingi had walked in on his fair share of their make out sessions and more than once straight up ditched them in the middle of dinner because he was sick of being the third wheel. 

And really everyone knew about it. Mingi certainly knew. Yunho knows that his brother knew as well. He just preferred to turn a blind eye to it. Yunho even suspects that his mother probably knew as well if the knowing looks she’d give him whenever San would come over was anything to go by. Perhaps the only one who didn’t know was San’s father, but Yunho understood. The younger boy just liked to keep a lot of things from his father, this included.

So all things considered, they had a thing, or they were a thing—Yunho isn’t really sure how he would define it—but nothing was ever official. They just...kissed from time to time. There was never anything more between them. Maybe there might have been. Yunho thinks something might have developed if he’d gone off to university with San as he planned. 

All that fell apart at the end of his senior year in high school when the accident happened. He spent a few days in the hospital recovering from the accident. The police came to bother him every day. Then there was the trial, and the sentencing. Yunho’s whole life felt like it changed after that incident. He withdrew his attendance to university and took up a job at the coffee shop after graduating high school. Someone needed to make his brother’s rent while he was stuck in prison, and Yunho took it upon himself to make sure he had a place to return to when he’s released. 

San, though, he went on to university. Of course he did. 

In the beginning they kept in contact, texting every day and calling each other at least twice a week. For a while things felt almost the same. Or as much as it could feel the same when they hardly see each other. The first time he came back for Christmas break everything almost did seem like it was back to normal. He saw San on Christmas Eve when they went out to dinner together and exchanged gifts. He’d gotten San a nice, moderately expensive necklace, and San bought him an expensive cologne that Yunho had only used twice before realizing he didn’t really have a reason to use it. He still has it though. The night ended when Yunho dropped him back off at his parents house. They’d shared one last kiss before parting ways. It was the last time they’d kissed. 

After that they started to grow distant from each other. San came home that summer too, and they spent some time with each other, but things remained platonic. Nothing happened. In fact, Yunho still remembered San telling him about a couple failed dates he had in college. Nothing ever became of them, but he’d still tell Yunho about it occasionally. Sometimes even asked for relationship advice. Yunho never really knew what to say in those situations. He wasn’t exactly a relationship guru of any sort. The closest thing he ever had to a relationship was whatever was going on between him and San. 

Admittedly he’d been rather jealous at first. Mingi heard enough of his complaints during that time, but eventually he learned to get over it. It was only natural for people to grow up and move on, and San did. Yunho couldn’t fault him for that, though he did lose interest in keeping contact from that point on. Maybe it’s petty. Maybe it’s just his own way of moving on. Either way, it’s not as if they’re relationship ended on  _ bad _ terms. They had something once, but whatever it was died a while ago. 

Maybe Yunho shouldn’t hold it against him anymore. 

  
  
  
  
  


When Yunho stops by Mingi’s shop a couple days later, he picks out a tuna rice ball to eat. The redhead raises his brow at him and sputters when Yunho puts some cash down in front of him. “I don’t need your money,” he protests as if Yunho paying him is personally offensive. 

“It’s for your parents,” he responds, unwrapping his food to take a bite. “Are they seriously okay with me just taking shit?” 

“It’s not as if they know.” Mingi shrugs. “I can’t believe you’re actually eating something too.” 

“I do get hungry, you know,” Yunho says around a mouthful. He doesn’t eat all that often. Always skips breakfast and usually snacks his way through work at both the coffee shop and Mingi’s place. Sometimes he actually needs something like lunch though. 

“I never said you didn’t,” Mingi sniffs as the bell over the front door rings upon the entrance of another customer. They both look over, and Yunho nearly chokes on a bit of rice when he sees San there. The blond smiles at the both of them as he approaches. “Hey,” Mingi greets awkwardly, shooting Yunho a confused look. 

“Hi,” San returns before he focuses his attention on Yunho. “I came to get ice cream, but I didn’t expect to run into you.” The taller man stutters a bit, unsure of what to say. “You said you’d text me if you were free.” San digs his toe into the floor dejectedly. 

Yunho ignores the accusatory stare Mingi fixes him with, clearing his throat awkwardly instead. “Oh. I’m still working today. I just usually come here for my lunch break. Sorry, I, uh, texting you my schedule just sort of slipped my mind.” 

“Oh.” San perks up a bit and looks between the two of them. “It’s nice you guys are still good friends. I’m glad.” 

The redhead stares at Yunho for a long, hard minute, his fan whirring loudly behind him. “Yunho’s off this Thursday,” he volunteers when San doesn’t press, and Yunho doesn’t offer. His friend sputters at his outburst while San blinks before a pleased expression takes its place. 

“Oh, really?” he asks, looking to Yunho for reassurance. 

“Um,” Yunho wraps up the rest of his rice ball. His appetite suddenly disappears. “Yeah. I, uh, have something to do in the afternoon that I can’t work around, but...but the evening is fine. I guess.” 

“Yeah?” Yunho admits that the other’s excitement makes him feel all sorts of warm things. “Do you want to go to that Italian place we used to go to all the time?” 

“Sure,” he agrees easily enough, glad that he doesn’t have to come up with something to do. 

“Okay, so, Thursday evening?” They both agree to the plan. 

  
  
  
  
  


Yunho brings his brother a couple of doughnuts from the coffee shop, pleased when he lights up at the pastries. “Here, let’s split one,” he suggests, already tearing one in half, but Yunho declines his half. He can’t see his brother too often, and he wants the elder to have it. 

They talk mostly about nonsense like they usually do. Yunho doesn’t like to talk too much about his life right now, mostly because he isn’t doing much, and his brother doesn’t like to talk about prison. So they talk as if there isn’t a monthly limit on the number of times Yunho can visit, and catch up as they always do. “How’s Mona doing?” his Hongjoong asks. 

“Fine. She hates me.” 

“She doesn’t hate you,” he says, rolling his eyes at Yunho’s dramatizations. “She’s just slow to warm up to other people.” 

“I’ve been taking care of her for two years, and she still barely acknowledges me,” the younger sniffs. It’s all really just an act. He likes Mona, wishes she’d like him too, but he’s never really all that saddened by her general dislike of him. 

Hongjoong grins as he takes another bite of his doughnut. “Thanks for taking care of her, by the way. I appreciate it.” 

Yunho shrugs and tells him not to worry about it. He’s happy to take care of Mona even if she doesn’t care about him. They talk about Mingi and his job a little. Yunho doesn’t have much to say beyond the fact that he’s happy. He tells Hongjoong about how understanding Seonghwa is when he requests time off for this. “Otherwise I pretty much work every day.” 

“You shouldn’t do that,” Hongjoong admonishes him, folding up the top of the paper bag. “It’s not good for you. Everyone needs time off even if it’s just to sit at home.” 

“I mean, I don’t have anything to do besides work and make sure you’re holding up okay,” Yunho responds truthfully. “Plus, it just means I have more money saved up.” 

His brother hums thoughtfully at his argument. “Are you going to use that money to go to school?” 

Sighing, Yunho slumps down in his seat. Figures they’d start talking about this eventually. “Maybe,” he answers vaguely. “Eventually.” He hasn’t thought about school for years now. It’s rarely on the forefront of his mind, and it’s not as if he’s completely given up the notion. Right now he just doesn’t think it’s that important. It’s something he can do later, if he wants. Nevertheless, Hongjoong almost never fails to bring it up. It’s a point of contention the brothers just can’t agree on. 

“Have you at least thought about reapplying?” the elder asks gently. “It wouldn’t be hard. You were given an offer previously and just rescinded it for personal reasons. They might give you an offer again if you reapply.” 

“Hyung, please,” Yunho begs in a strained voice. “I don’t want to talk about this.” 

“You can’t just avoid this. Yunho, you’re wasting your time like this.” 

“I’m not wasting anything.” The younger brother shakes his head in denial. “School can wait.  _ You’re _ important.” 

“So are  _ you _ ,” Hongjoong throws back at him. “What about your future? You didn’t have to give that up to...just wait for me. I can take care of myself, you know.” 

Yunho taps his finger anxiously on the table they're sitting at. He hates when they talk about this because it’s always the same thing rehashed over and over again, and it always ends with Yunho promising that he’ll think about it even though they both know that he won’t. “I know you can, but then who would take care of Mona?” he jokes weakly. 

“Mom would.” 

“Mom’s pissed at you.” 

Hongjoong sighs. “I know. But she’s pissed at me, not the cat.” 

“What about your apartment?” 

Hongjoong shrugs like it’s no big deal. “I could always find a place when I’m out again. It’s not that big of a deal, Yunho. You didn’t have to take over that stuff for me.” Yunho opens his mouth to argue but snaps it shut when his brother reaches out to grab his hand, stopping the incessant tapping. He holds Yunho’s hand in both of his, frowning at his brother. “What is this about?” he asks. “Really? I get that you’re worried, and I’m grateful—I truly am grateful that you’re here for me—but you’ve changed, Yunho.” 

“I haven’t changed,” the younger man denies quickly, pulling his hand from his brother’s. He doesn’t like where this is going. 

“Even if it meant less visits, I know you could have gone to school and visited me during breaks you know? Or called. You didn’t have to put everything on hold for me.” Yunho bites his lip and avoids the elder’s inquisitive gaze. They’ve never really talked about this before. Yunho doesn’t want to. He’s doing this all for him. Isn’t that enough? “This isn’t your fault. You know that, right?” 

“Please, I have to hang out with a friend later,” Yunho pleads. “I don’t want to talk about this. I’ll be in a bad mood.” 

“Oh!” Hongjoong leans back in his seat, surprised by his brother’s plans. “With Mingi?” he guesses. 

“Uh,” Yunho hesitates, “with San actually.” 

“San?” Hongjoong asks, genuinely surprised by the fact. He tilts his head to the side, brows knitting together. “I suppose school is out for the summer by now.” 

The younger brother nods his head. “Yeah, he’s back in town for the summer.” He doesn’t add the part about San being here for a whole year because he doesn’t think it’s his place to say and, frankly, he still just doesn’t know what’s going on with that whole thing. 

“I just...I guess I didn’t realize that you two were still friends,” Hongjoong says carefully.

“We never stopped being friends,” Yunho mumbles. 

For a moment Hongjoong just observes him, resting his chin on his hand. Yunho continues to avoid his gaze which only further his suspicions. “You know, a friendship doesn’t necessarily have to end in a fight,” he points out. “Sometimes it’s natural that people just grow apart.” 

Crossing his arms on top of the table top, Yunho hunches down and resolutely stares at his arms. “I know, but we’re still friends. We just...aren’t as close anymore.” 

The elder hums to himself. “Are you sure you should be doing this?” he asks, his voice laced with concern. 

Yunho startles at the question, uncertain about Hongjoong’s reluctance. “I mean,” he hesitates, biting his lip anxiously. “Should I not? Is there a reason I shouldn’t?” 

“No,” Hongjoong denies quickly with a shake of his head. “I’m not telling you that it’s bad. I just want you to be careful.” He looks down at the table thoughtfully and licks his lips. “It’s just...the last time we talked about San you seemed distressed.” 

The younger brother flinches at the reminder. Yeah, he does vaguely remember that. San had told him about a classmate he had a crush on. He wanted some advice. In retrospect, Yunho feels kind of silly for being so upset about it at the time. They didn’t have anything going on, after all. There wasn’t any reason to be upset about it, so he doesn’t really think it’s fair for Hongjoong to use that against him. “Well, I mean that’s true, but it’s okay now. I’m not mad at him or anything.” 

Hongjoong raises a questioning brow at that. “You sure? If you still like him—” 

“I don’t,” Yunho interrupts curtly. “It’s fine. I’m over it.” He grins when Hongjoong remains doubtful. “Promise.” 

  
  
  
  
  


It is true. Yunho is over it. Has been for a while in all fairness. 

Still, he thinks it’s fair that even if he’s over San he can still admire his friend from afar. People do that, right? Compliment their friends when they look particularly good. That’s how Yunho feels when he meets San inside the little Italian restaurant they agreed to meet at. It’s an old hang out spot of theirs because the food is good, but, more importantly, it’s also cheap. Basically the only stuff they could afford on a high schooler’s allowance. Yunho has fond memories of the place though it’s been a while since he’s been back. 

When he enters he spots San seated by the hostess stand, waiting for him. He’s on his feet as soon as he sees Yunho, his usual smile in place. “Hey,” he greets as Yunho approaches. “I already told them we wanted a table for two, but I figured I’d just wait for you.” 

Yunho tries not to stare too long at his friend. He’s wearing a black long sleeve shirt that hugs his body nicely and with a v-cut low enough that Yunho wonders how he’s comfortable wearing it. And no, he’s definitely not staring. The sleeves are rolled up past his elbow because, while summer nights might be cooler it’s still summer. His jeans are equally as tight as his shirt, and Yunho pointedly keeps his gaze on San’s shoulder as the hostess leads them to a table. 

“You look really nice,” Yunho blurts out once they’re seated. San blinks at him, pushing up the sleeves of his shirt. “Sorry,” he apologizes immediately afterwards, reaching for the menu like he’ll actually order something new. “That was weird.” 

“It wasn’t weird,” San assures him. “I was just caught off guard. You haven’t said something like that to me in a long time.”

Yunho shrugs his shoulders and hides behind his menu. “Well, it’s been a long time since I last saw you,” he answers. 

San deflates a bit at that, flipping open his own menu for a distraction. “That’s true,” he admits reluctantly. “I’m sorry about that. We’ve become kind of distant, huh?” 

“I mean, things happen. You don’t have to apologize for anything. We’re still friends.” 

“I know,” the blond mumbles dejectedly, scanning over the menu. “But I’m still sorry. I should have called you more often or texted you more. School just gets in the way sometimes.” He rubs at his nose, glancing up to Yunho who finally pulls his menu down so they can look at each other. “I have plenty of time now though. I’ll make up for it.” 

Yunho wants to tell him that he doesn’t have to. He’s not exactly torn up about the little time they manage to spend together, not anymore at least. Certainly he wished they could have spent more time together, but things are okay. They’re okay. “So...what made you change your mind anyways?” he tentatively asks. 

“Huh?” San makes a noise of confusion as he takes a sip of his water. 

Before Yunho can elaborate, their waiter comes by to ask if they would like anything to drink. San orders an Italian soda like he used to while Yunho asks for a beer. The blond gives him an odd look at the request. “You drink now?” he asks when the waiter leaves for their drinks. 

“Oh, I mean just occasionally,” Yunho says with a small shrug. “I don’t really like to get drunk or anything, but it just...helps sometimes.” Deal with the stress and all. San frowns but refrains from commenting further, and Yunho awkwardly tugs on his earlobe. Maybe he shouldn’t have gotten a beer. “But, uh, so what I meant was the last time we talked during your winter break you said you weren’t going to come back for the summer. You had plans for a job over the summer or something?” 

“Oh.” San furrows his brows together as he stares at his water. “Is that...is that the last time we talked?” he asks like he can’t believe it. 

“Well, that was the last time we talked about, like, what was going on with our lives,” Yunho says like that’s helpful. “You wished me a happy birthday back in March, remember?” 

San winces, twirling a strand of blond hair in his hand. Their waiter comes back at that point to drop off their drinks and to take their orders. When he leaves, San reaches out to fiddle with his straw for a moment before taking a sip of his soda. It tastes exactly how he remembers it. “That really was the last time, huh?” With a sigh, he crosses his arms on the table and rests his head down in the little cradle he’s made. “I’m really awful. I’m sorry.” 

“Huh?” Yunho blinks at San’s self deprecation. “No, no. You don’t have to apologize, and you’re not awful. Really. We don’t have to talk all the time, you know. I understand that you’re busy with school work and stuff, and you’ve probably made new friends too. Remember how you used to text me about that cute boy in your psychology class? You should put effort into those relationships.” He smiles when San peeks at him from his arms. “I’m fine. I promise.” 

“You’re not mad at me?” the blond asks, and Yunho has to lean in closer to actually hear his muffled question. 

“No,” Yunho shakes his head. “I mean, I guess it’s nice to be able to catch up with you again. I miss hanging out, but I still have Mingi and my brother.” 

San straightens up in his seat. “I, uh, heard about what happened to your brother in the news after I moved out for university,” he admits with a downcast expression. The smile on Yunho’s lips fades, and he reaches out to take a large gulp of his beer. He hadn’t meant to divert the conversation in this direction. “I’m sorry,” San apologizes. “I don’t mean to bring up such an awful topic. I just—I’m glad you still keep in contact with him. It’s good of you.” 

Yunho swallows down another gulp of beer before finally setting it down. San’s reaction isn’t exactly what he’s expecting. Most people ask about what happened and if he’s okay. How he’s holding up in the aftermath. Most people don’t understand why he still keeps in close contact with his brother, but it’s not like Hongjoong is at fault. “Well, yeah. I visit him a lot, and he’ll be out in a little more than a year.” 

“That’s good.” San smiles at him. “I realize you probably don’t want to talk about it, I just never really got to ask how you were after you were released from the hospital. It never seemed like the right time to ask.” San had been there during the accident. He visited Yunho quite often in the hospital even though he hadn’t been hurt that badly and was only there for a few days, but he left to move by the time his brother’s trial had started. It had been both hard and a relief for Yunho.

“It’s okay. I don’t like to talk much about it anyways. I just can’t wait to move on from it.” 

“Yeah,” San agrees. “Anyways, what you were asking, it was kind of a recent thing. I’m sorry I kind of dumped it on you out of nowhere that I was coming back for the time being. Things are just really stressful at school, and I talked to my counselor about it. We just decided together that this would be best.” 

“Are your parents okay with it?” 

San shrugs his shoulders. “Mom’s understanding about it. Dad wasn’t so happy. He told me whatever my issue is I should grow up and handle it like an adult.”

Yunho frowns at his answer. It sounds like the no-nonsense man, but he hopes San doesn’t take his criticisms to heart. It’s just his way of showing love. “Well, you know what everyone says: things get much harder in university. Sometimes you need a break from all that stress.” 

“Exactly. So we’ll have plenty of time to hang out and make up for lost time.” Yunho’s lips curl up into a little smile.

When dinner is over Yunho offers to walk San back to his house which the blond eagerly accepts. Yunho smiles. This feels like old times. At some point on the way home, San reaches out to snake his fingers into Yunho’s. The taller man startles at the sensation, but he doesn’t pull away. He looks down at the blond, but San isn’t looking at him. This sensation is familiar. He tightens his hold around San’s hand. 

  
  
  
  
  


San doesn’t lie when he says he plans to make up for lost time. He drops by the coffee shop nearly every day, usually posting himself by the front counter so he can talk to Yunho whenever there aren’t any customers around. Seonghwa had spotted him the first day, head cocked to the side. San had taken a couple steps away from Yunho and dips his head apologetically. “Sorry, I’ve just been harassing your employee,” he says apologetically. 

“Oh, it’s no problem,” Seonghwa tells him as he passes by. He does shoot Yunho a look of curiosity though. “As long as you let him work when someone comes in.” 

“Of course,” San agrees with a smile. 

“What are you going to do for the year?” Yunho asks when he realizes that San’s schedule is quite free. “You’re not going to work?” 

“I decided to take a break for the summer,” San tells him. “I thought about it but I think I could really use the time off to just rest and take my mind off things. Plus my roommate is coming to visit later this summer after he has some time to take off his summer job, so I figure it might just be easier if I’m free for the summer.” 

Yunho remembers San’s roommate. Vaguely. San used to talk about him a lot during his first semester at university. Yunho remembers hearing about him all the time, though shamefully, he can’t recall his name. Still it’s good to hear that he’s planning to spend some time with him. Yunho might not know him and maybe he can’t recall his name, but he definitely remembers how fondly San would speak of him. They’re clearly close friends.

“Oh? Do you already have a job lined up after that then?” 

“Yeah, I’m just going to work at my Dad’s place for the year.” San’s father owns a small business in town, so Yunho supposes that isn’t all that surprising. “I’m just going to do, like, secretary type things for him. It won’t be too bad.” San leans against the counter as Yunho makes an iced americano—sweetened—for him. “Mingi says you’ve been working here since you graduated high school.” 

Yunho hands him the drink over the counter, and San takes a sip before humming appreciatively at the taste. “Yeah, I started working here not long after you moved out of town.” 

“So you’ve been working here for awhile, huh?” San remarks around the straw in his mouth. “Do you like it here?” 

Yunho shrugs his shoulders nonchalantly at his question. “The pay isn’t too bad.” It’s enough for him to get by, so he supposes he can’t complain about that. The back door opens and Seonghwa comes out lugging a bucket of ice out to refill his cache up front. “Plus, Seonghwa isn’t so bad. He’s really nice about being flexible with my schedule.” Seonghwa pauses to shoot him a suspicious look which Yunho only returns with a smile of his own. 

San giggles at their interaction, sending Seonghwa a small wave before the elder ducks back into the backroom. “So, is Seonghwa your boss then?” 

“Not officially, but basically, yeah.” Yunho scratches the skin behind his ear. “His parents own the place, but we’re basically the two man team that keeps it running, so I guess he’s my boss.” 

San levels him with a sly look, leaning forward in a conspiratory manner. “He’s kind of cute, isn’t he?” 

A hint of jealousy twists itself in Yunho’s guts though he tries not to let it show on his face. He glances behind him to where Seonghwa disappeared, gathering himself in that split second. When he turns around, he mirrors San’s sly expression and leans in as well. “To be honest, I’m fairly sure all our regulars only come for him.” He looks pointedly at the dining area in the coffee shop where a few middle aged women are having a gathering of some sort. 

San snorts into his hand. “Well, that’s okay. I only come here for you.” 

The jealous feeling in his gut fades into something warm. “Yeah because you don’t pay for anything. I give you free coffee and pastries all the time.” 

“Exactly,” San agrees with a coy smile. “Seeing you is also a plus, you know,” he jokes. 

“Well, I appreciate it then.” 

San smiles at him. Yunho doesn’t know what to think when his heart starts to beat a little faster at the expression. 

  
  
  
  
  


For the first time in nearly two years, Yunho requests for a day off, not to visit his brother but just for himself. Seonghwa doesn’t think anything of it, easily agreeing to the younger man’s request. San asked if he would be willing to hang out with him—if he had the time of course. Not entirely sure of what to do, Yunho sat on the request for a couple of days before ultimately deciding that it wouldn’t do him any harm. So he asks for the day off and plans to spend his time with San. He doesn’t really think of anything they could do, but luckily San seems to be on top of it. 

“Let’s go to the lake,” San suggests when Yunho meets him outside of his brother’s apartment. 

“The lake?” he asks. He hasn’t gone there in a long time. They used to go in the summer during their high school years just to hang out and cool down. 

“Yeah! Unless you don’t want to go, that is.” 

“No!” Yunho denies quickly. It’s not that he didn’t want to go, just hadn’t thought about it for a long time. “It’s a good idea. It’s really hot today, so let’s go.” 

The blond smiles gleefully when he agrees. “Okay. Will you drive?” 

Yunho digs his keys out of his pockets. “Of course.” 

The lake is much the same as Yunho remembered it. It’s not awfully crowded, but he spots a few families lining the edge of the lake. There’s a small little shop on the north side of the lake that sells food and rents out a few small little boats for people. Yunho parks by the building. 

“Do you want to rent a rowboat or something?” 

Yunho shakes his head. He hadn’t been expecting to go to the lake today and was hardly prepared for it. He’s not quite ready to get into a boat with his sneakers and jeans. “Maybe next time?” he suggests. 

“Okay,” San agrees easily enough. Then he wraps his arms around Yunho’s, eagerly pulling his friend towards the lake. “Come on then. I’ve been dying to at least dip my feet into the water.” The taller allows himself to be dragged towards the pier. They spend a good ten minutes just walking around the perimeter, searching for a spot with at least a little bit of privacy. They eventually settle in a spot far away from some of the others, and San immediately slips out of his sandals and rolls up the bottoms of his pants before waddling into the shallow waters. 

Yunho eyes the gravel shore for somewhere to sit. He doesn’t really want to sit in the dirt but just standing around feels weird. He finds a rock big enough to act as a little stool and lowers himself onto it, knees awkwardly folding up against his chest. He folds his arms over his knees and watches San bend over to dip his hands into the water as well. 

“Aren’t you going to come in?” he yells over his shoulder. 

Yunho vigorously shakes his head. “I didn’t dress for a day at the lake,” he answers. “My jeans will get wet.” 

San straightens himself up and turns himself around with a frown on his face. “You won’t if you just roll them up a little.” The taller man waves San off because it’s fine. He’s okay just watching, but the blond marches out of the lake to kneel down in front of him. “Like this,” he says as he rolls up one of Yunho’s pant legs until it reaches mid calf. It’s tight around his leg, a little uncomfortable, but he doesn’t protest as San moves on to the other one. “Now take off your shoes and socks and come join me!” he demands, pointing to Yunho’s feet. 

With a reluctant sigh, Yunho reaches down to untie his shoes, tucking his socks neatly into them before setting them down by the rock he sat on. When he stands up, San grabs him by the hand and pulls him along to the water’s edge. The lake is refreshingly cool against his skin though Yunho nearly slips on some rocks only a few steps in. San manages to keep him upright, but the resulting flailing wet the bottom of both their pants. Yunho sighs, already uncomfortable from the feel of wet cotton on his skin, while San laughs, clearly enjoying himself either way. 

The blond waddles in a little deeper, still holding onto Yunho’s hand. He moves the bare minimum forward so that he doesn’t lose his hold on San’s hand, trying to keep to the shallow waters. “The water feels so nice on a day like this,” San comments, turning around to face Yunho. He coaxes him in a little closer, and Yunho reluctantly waddles in deeper. “It’s been so long since we came here together, huh?” 

“Yeah,” Yunho agrees. He can’t remember exactly the last time they’d come down here together, but he’s pretty sure they rented paddle boards and played a game where they tried to knock each other off. It definitely sounds like something they would do. “It’s nice.” 

With a grin, San reaches up with his free hand to tuck some blond strands of hair behind his ear. Yunho tries to convince himself that his friend doesn’t look  _ that  _ pretty doing it, but the thoughts invade quite readily. He opens his mouth to say something—anything really to take his mind off intrusive thoughts—but before he can get any words out, something presses against his lips and quiets him. It’s not just something, though, Yunho realizes with increasing shock. It’s San. 

San’s kissing him, and Yunho slips on one of the rocks beneath the water, going down with a small yelp and pulling the blond down with him. The shock of hitting the water and the feel of his soaked pants don’t even register over the fact that San is kneeling over him. The two of them stare at each other for a long moment before Yunho finally finds his voice. “What—” he gasps out, “what was that for?” 

“I’m sorry,” San apologizes though he doesn’t sound all that apologetic. He also doesn’t move from his position over the taller man. “I should have asked first. I just thought it would be okay. I’m sorry.” 

“I—” Yunho stutters, fingers curling around one of those slippery rocks. “I’m not upset. I just...why did you do that?” 

“Huh? Why?” San looks away shyly. “Well, I just really missed you, and you looked really good just now, I guess I couldn’t help myself.” His gaze briefly flickers up to Yunho before he quickly averts his eyes again. “Is it okay if I do it again?” 

The feeling of his jeans is starting to become uncomfortable, but Yunho can’t even think about moving from his spot at the moment. He stares at the blond who finally meets his gaze. Is it okay? Yunho is unsure if he knows the answer to that question. He had been too shocked to feel anything else when San kissed him. Unconsciously his gaze drops down to the younger’s lips. San has always had a pretty curve to his lips, and Yunho swallows thickly because he probably shouldn’t be thinking about that. 

“I—yeah,” he stammers out. “It’s okay.” 

San smiles, that pretty curve to his lips emphasized, and Yunho clears his throat awkwardly. Then the blond leans forward, slotting his lips against Yunho’s in a way that feels way too familiar. Yunho feels himself relax into the sensation, fingers relaxing around the rock he’d previously been gripping onto for dear life. San reaches up with one of his wet hands to cup Yunho’s cheek, and he shivers at the cool feeling, pushing himself up to deepen the kiss. 

San leans down to meet him, lips parting, and Yunho sucks on his bottom lip as he brings his own arms up around the blond to pull him closer. This is familiar, and it feels good even in spite of the fact that they’re sitting in their clothes in a lake. When San lets out a little moan Yunho finally pulls away, panting as he tries to catch his breath. San collapses onto the other’s chest, resting his chin on Yunho’s shoulder. The elder holds them up above water, his damp fingers combing through San’s blond hair. 

“We should get out of the water,” he says eventually. 

San pulls back and steals one more kiss before he helps Yunho to his feet. He sighs when he stands up and realizes just how soaked he is, but San doesn’t seem bothered by it. “Let’s go back to your place to dry off,” he suggests. 

  
  
  
  
  


Driving in wet jeans is a new and unpleasant experience for Yunho, but they make it back to the apartment without much incident. When he opens the door to the apartment, inviting San inside, Mona is in the living room. She pauses when the two of them enter, staring for a moment before quickly scrambling underneath the couch. San laughs as he drops the sandals he’d been holding in front of the door. “I understand her not liking me, but she really hasn’t warmed up to you yet either?” 

“She doesn’t like anyone except Hongjoong,” Yunho mutters with a hint of bitterness. 

San laughs again before looking around the apartment. “Where’s your room?” he asks. 

“This way,” Yunho beckons him to follow with a curl of his fingers. “I’ll get you something dry to change into.” He leads the blond down the hallway to the spare bedroom he’d taken up as his own. He hesitates at the door, a little embarrassed to show San his current living arrangement, though he quickly shakes off the feeling of shame. It’s not like the blond will really judge him for it anyways. He opens the door and gestures for San to go inside. 

The blond steps into the room tentatively, glancing around as he takes it in. Yunho heads for the closet immediately, digging through his drawers for a change of clothes for the both of them. The room is awfully bare. Just a mattress pushed into the corner of the room, an alarm clock set beside it and a couple miscellaneous items scattered about on the floor. San frowns. It doesn’t feel anything like Yunho’s old room. It feels temporary and artificial, like it’s a hotel room and not his bedroom.

“Here,” Yunho says, drawing the blond’s attention back to him as he holds out an old T-shirt and a pair of red basketball shorts. San takes the spare clothes from him with a small thank you before he starts shimmying out of his pants. Face flushed, Yunho turns back to his dresser and pulls out a new change of clothes for himself. 

San sighs as he slips into the dry change of clothes. “That feels so much better,” he says, picking up his pile of damp clothes from the floor. 

“I have a drying rack out in the living room,” Yunho tells him as he hugs his own change of dry clothes to his chest. “I’ll, uh, meet you out there?” 

San eyes the taller man, pressing his lips into a thin line as he stares at the way the other’s wet jeans cling to his thighs. Yunho just stands there though with his change of clothes still clutched in his hands. He doesn’t seem like he’s going to change any time soon, so San resigns himself to sitting out in the living room to wait for him. 

He finds the little rack Yunho mentioned folded up and leaning against the wall next to the television. He drags it out and unfolds it. Positioning it in the sunlight that filters in through the balcony, he hangs up his shirt and pants to dry before settling down on the couch. Yunho comes out of his room not long after that in a new change of clothes as well. San looks over when he enters the living room, admiring the way his sweatpants hang on his hips. 

“Do you want to do anything else?” he asks the blond, sitting down on the other side of the couch. There’s a healthy distance between them that San internally scowls about. The blond scoots closer to him, practically draping himself over Yunho’s lap. He doesn’t protest, so San figures it must be okay. 

“We can make something to eat and watch some TV?” he suggests. 

It sounds like a good enough plan, and Yunho mentally takes stock of what he has in his kitchen to make. “Okay. We can do that.” 

San smiles and crawls further into the elder’s lap. Yunho sinks back into the couch to accommodate him, hands coming up to hold onto his hips. “Okay, sounds good.” He leans in closer. “I’m not hungry yet though.” 

“Oh?” Yunho questions. 

“Mhm,” San hums. He places his hands on Yunho’s shoulder for balance. The sly smile slips from his expression for a split second as he hesitates. “Can I…?” he asks without elaborating. 

Truthfully, Yunho has no idea what’s going on between them right now. He’s not necessarily opposed to...whatever this is, but he just doesn’t know what it is. It feels like high school all over again. “Yeah,” he approves quietly.

San doesn’t hesitate this time, pressing forward for another kiss. Yunho responds eagerly now that he isn’t caught off guard, tilting his head back to meet San halfway. He moves his hands from Yunho’s shoulder up his neck before tangling into his hair. Yunho sighs into the kiss, pulling the blond closer with his grip on his hips. His hands slide back, kneading into the small of his back though he doesn’t dare to venture any lower. 

San pulls away for a moment to murmur, “I really missed you.” 

Yunho sighs, pulling the blond in for another kiss. He still doesn’t really know what San means or what he wants for that matter, but he admits that he missed this too. They should probably talk about this. They never really did, not even in high school. It was just something they did a lot, but this time they should really, probably just at least discuss what’s going on with them. What this thing is between them. Yunho doesn’t have the chance to ask in between kisses, though, so he doesn’t. 

  
  
  
  
  


The next time Yunho goes to Mingi’s convenience store, the redhead watches him with a suspicious intensity. Though, Yunho admits, it might be due to the fact that San had followed him here from the coffee shop with one arm laced in his. The blond giggles and waves to him when they enter, drawing Mingi’s attention to them immediately. Yeah, that’s probably why. 

“Do you eat here every day?” San asks, following Yunho down one of the aisles. 

“Mingi lets me have whatever,” Yunho explains with a little shrug. He’s not going to turn down free food if it means he can save a little more money. 

“You should eat a real meal though,” San protests. Yunho sheepishly grabs something prepackaged and scratches the back of his neck. It’s not like he’s ever really all that hungry by the time lunch rolls around, so he never feels the need to eat more than a small snack. He doesn’t tell San that though. 

The blond pulls away when his phone vibrates in his pocket, pulling it out to check his messages. Yunho looks down at him curiously when he sighs. “I have to go,” he says when he notices Yunho’s quizzical looks. “My parents want to have some family time.” 

“Okay. You’ve been hanging out at the coffee shop all morning anyways.” 

“Because it’s fun,” San pouts. 

“Well, yeah but it’s still important to hang out with your family.” 

“I guess you’re right.” San stuffs his phone back into his pocket. “We’ll hang out again sometime soon, okay?” 

Yunho nods his head because he’s sure they will. “Of course.” He waves San off as he heads for the front door. Mingi basically jumps over the front counter when San leaves and makes a beeline for his friend. 

“Okay spill,” he hisses as soon as he’s in Yunho’s space. The elder flinches at his tone, but attempts to play it off like he doesn’t know what the redhead is talking about. “No, no. I definitely saw that. What’s going on?” 

Yunho fiddles with the package of the sandwich he picked up earlier. “What do you mean? We’re just hanging out since he’s back for the summer.” It’s the truth. Sort of. He doesn’t mention the kiss at the lake. Or the one at his apartment. 

“Okay,” Mingi says slowly. “But I haven’t seen you guys like that since, like, senior year.” 

“Like what?” Yunho asks innocently. 

“Oh, come on,” the redhead whines, tugging insistently on Yunho’s sleeve. “Don’t play dumb, you know exactly what I mean. Did you finally ask him out? Are you guys like...an official thing? Did you talk to him like I told you to?” 

“Um.” Yunho hesitates because, well, he hasn’t. 

Mingi runs his hands through his hair. “Jesus. You’re just falling back into the same shit from high school, huh?” 

“No,” he denies. “I’m not. I’m just—” 

“You’re what?” the younger man challenges. Yunho shrinks into himself, unsure of what to say. Mingi groans at his lack of response. “Look, I’m not going to tell you what to do just be careful, okay? I don’t think San is a bad guy or anything, and I don’t think he would ever intentionally hurt you, but I don’t want you to destroy yourself over this all over again.” 

Yunho furrows his brows together because he doesn’t feel like he ever destroyed himself over it. “I won’t,” he assures because, like he said, he never did the first time either. 

  
  
  
  
  


Summer seems to pass more quickly than usual. Yunho isn’t sure if it’s because of San’s presence or not. He came last summer too, but Yunho supposes they weren’t hanging out nearly as much as they were this summer. It’s a nice change because he admits he’s really missed his best friend too. 

Hongjoong seemed less on edge as well when Yunho talked to him about it—just smiled and said he was glad things were working out. Yunho doesn’t mention the whole Lake Incident to him either. But really, does anyone need to know besides them? 

“My roommate is coming in two weeks,” San tells him over dinner at Yunho’s apartment. “I’d like to introduce you guys, if you're okay with it.” 

Yunho finishes swallowing down his last bite before nodding his head a little too eagerly. “I’d love to,” he says. “Um, sorry. I know you talked about him a lot your first year, but I don’t remember his name.” He tugs on his earlobe self consciously, feeling bad for not remembering. 

San laughs at him, covering his mouth behind his hand. “You don’t have to feel bad,” he admonishes. “His name is Wooyoung, but it’s not like you ever met him. I wouldn’t expect you to know everything. And sometimes I honestly just forget you guys don’t know each other because I get along with you both so well.” He lowers his hand so his grin is apparent. “It’s my fault, I guess.” 

“No, it’s not that,” Yunho assures him, staring down at his finished plate. “I suppose I should have cared more to begin with. I was jealous, to be honest. When you used to talk about him all the time.” 

The blond perks up in his seat, sitting at the edge of his chair. “Really?” he asks. 

“Well, I mean, it’s because, you know, it felt like I was being replaced,” he stutters in a small voice. “I don’t feel like that anymore though! It was just a silly thing at the beginning. I realized pretty quickly that I was being unreasonable.”

“You never told me that though,” San tells him. 

“Well, yeah. Why would I?” 

“I don’t know,” the blond plays with his chopsticks nervously. “I think it’s cute that you were jealous of Wooyoung.” Yunho flushes at the comment, clearing his throat as he sets his silverware down on top of his plate. He’d excuse himself to clean his dishes if he could, but it felt rude to abandon San at the table like that. The blond would probably just follow him to the kitchen anyways. “You know, I really only talked about him that much because, well, he was my first friend in university, but I also just wanted to let you know that I was okay because I wasn’t alone.” 

“I know. I was grateful for that,” Yunho acknowledges. “That’s why I told you I was being silly about it.” 

“You sure were.” San grins at him as he sets his own set of silverware down, apparently having had his fill of food. “Wooyoung is a good friend, and I’m excited for you to meet him, but he’s not like you, you know.” 

Yunho wonders what he means by that, though he doesn’t wonder for long. After cleaning up the dishes, San eagerly pulls him into his bedroom. As soon as the door shuts behind them, the blond has him up against the door, pushing himself up onto his toes to catch Yunho’s lips in a kiss. The taller man allows it, pulling him in closer by the waist. San licks over his lower lip before pulling back. With a hand on Yunho’s wrist he guides him over to the mattress on the floor that acts as his pathetic excuse for a bed. 

For a moment, Yunho is a bit horrified by the fact that  _ this  _ is his room, but those thoughts quickly fade to the back of his mind when San falls into his lap, blindly searching for his lips. It occurs to Yunho belatedly that this is what San meant about him not being like Wooyoung. At least, he thinks—hopes—this is what he meant. 

San pulls away from him, lips spit slick and shiny. In a daze, Yunho can’t help but admire him, so he doesn’t notice when the blond’s hand trails down his chest to the hem of his jeans. San tugs on one of his belt loops, teeth digging into his bottom lip shyly. “Can I?” he asks. 

Yunho struggles to even think at this point. If he’s honest, it doesn’t register in his mind exactly what San is asking him, but he also doesn’t know if he cares. He nods his head in answer. Whatever San has in mind, he doesn’t go for it right away, fingers still playing along the hemline. To distract Yunho, or maybe to distract himself, he leans up to press his lips to Yunho’s, licking into his mouth shyly. 

He sighs into the kiss, pressing into San. The blond’s fingers ghost over his lower stomach before falling lower to press his palm into Yunho’s crotch. The elder moans against San’s lips, rolling his hips up into the touch. The blond swallows his breathy noises while slowly and purposefully grinding his palm against the growing bulge in Yunho’s pants. 

When San pops the button of his jeans, Yunho pulls away from him with a gasp. “What—” Finally, his brain seems to catch up to him and he understands what San is trying to do. He grabs the younger by the wrist to stop him, and the blond immediately freezes, staring at the elder with wide, fearful eyes. Yunho hesitates. “Why?” he croaks out after a beat of silence. 

“I—” San licks his lips. Then he suddenly squares his shoulders as if he’s come to a decision he intends to see through. “I want to make you feel good,” he says. Yunho’s grip around his wrist slackens in surprise, and he takes the opportunity to press his palm back against Yunho’s growing bulge, grinding down on him. The elder inhales sharply but doesn’t stop him. “Can I?” 

“You...want to?” he asks with uncertainty. 

“Yeah.” San grinds down harder on his clothed cock, and Yunho bucks his hips up with a loud moan. The blond grins at the noise while he slaps a hand over his mouth in embarrassment. He relieves the pressure on Yunho to finish undoing his pants. “Is this okay?” The blond pauses to wait for him. 

Yunho stares at San, wondering what this is about. What does he want? Biting down on his bottom lip, Yunho buries those thoughts in the back of his mind and nods his head. San seizes the permission almost immediately. He hooks his fingers into the hem of Yunho’s underwear and tugs them and his jeans down over his hips. Yunho lifts himself up so that the blond can pull them down then shivers as he sits back on his bare ass, his pants and underwear pulled down to mid thigh. 

Surprisingly, he doesn’t hide in embarrassment. He feels like he’s drowning in it in all honesty, but he can’t keep his eyes off of San, watching everything the blond does. The younger wraps a hand delicately around the base of Yunho’s cock before shifting backwards to lie down on his stomach. Yunho’s breath hitches, and it feels like a molten fire is brewing in his stomach. 

Leaning down, San sticks his tongue out giving the head a little kitten lick. Yunho sucks in a breath, his thighs quaking in anticipation. He had absolutely no intention or thought that this is how the night would go. The kisses he anticipated, but this? Yunho tilts his head back when San wraps his lips around the head of his hard cock, tonguing at his slit. 

“Shit,” he curses, hips canting up. San pulls away, palm coming over the head to gather some of the slick from both the saliva in precome before pumping his shaft a few times. “Sorry,” Yunho moans out, heading knocking back against his wall. 

“Don’t apologize,” San tells him in a soft voice. “It feels good, right?” 

Yunho cringes a little because it does feel good, truly, but it would probably feel better if there was more of a glide to San’s motion. Spit only does so much, and it already feels cool on his skin. “Yeah,” he answers breathily without complaint. 

The blond makes a pleased noise before going down on Yunho again, taking him in deeper this time. His tongue presses flat against the underside of his cock. It’s warm and wet. Yunho’s never felt this good before. Groaning, one of his hands fists into the sheets of his mattress, the other one coming up to tangle into San’s hair. He brushes the strands out of the blond’s eyes before his grip tightens. San moans around him. Taking his touch as encouragement, he begins bobbing his head up and down. 

“Fuck.” Yunho’s thighs tense up and his fingers twist in the blond’s hair to keep himself grounded enough to not choke him on his cock. Gasping when San pulls off to thumb at his sensitive head, Yunho forces his gaze back down to look. The blond meets his gaze, spit-slicked lips curling up into a smile before he takes the elder back into his mouth. 

The fire in the pit of Yunho’s stomach burns hotter. He feels like he’s going to die any second. Or cum. Probably cum if he’s being realistic. “San,” he moans, pushing his blond hair out of his face. “San, I can’t.” His only acknowledgement is to take Yunho deeper, gagging on his dick. The elder cries out at the sensation, fingers once again digging into San’s hair. “Seriously,” he gasps out. “I can’t—I’m gonna cum.” 

San pulls back enough until his lips are only wrapped around the head of his cock. His hand works furiously, fisting Yunho with intent. At the same time he laves his tongue over the tip. Yunho loses it. The fire building in his gut feels like it explodes, but he spills into San’s mouth with just a quiet groan, eyes sliding shut as his body immediately relaxes. 

It feels good. It feels so good. He feels a tingle all the way from his pelvis down to his toes. San pulls off of him, and he brows furrow at the rapidly cooling sensation around his cock. He misses the warmth, but he’s not about ask San to put his mouth back on him. He tiredly tucks himself back into his pants, pulling them up around his waist though he doesn’t bother to zip them back up. Looking up at San, he notes the lack of a mess, the only real evidence of their actions are the memory seared into Yunho’s brain and the fact that the blond’s lips are swollen and wet. 

Well, fuck. He just took Yunho’s load without so much as a word.

His gaze trails down, zeroing in on San’s own bulge straining against his tight pants. Wordlessly, Yunho reaches out, intending to return the favor with at least something even if his limbs feel like jelly. San notices though and pushes his arm away with a curt shake of his head. 

“But, what about you?” Yunho asks. 

“Don’t worry about it,” San assures him, draping himself over Yunho so that he can’t get to him. The elder grunts when San traps his arms against his sides and leans his weight on him. He can still feel the blond’s erection pressed against his hip, but he brushes him off when Yunho tries to bring it up again. “Just cuddle with me,” he whines petulantly. “I’m fine. I just wanted to take care of you.” 

“But I feel bad,” Yunho argues even as his eyes droop a little. His post-orgasm sleepiness is hitting a little hard. 

“Well, don’t,” the blond tells him. “I’m more than happy, just sleep with me.” 

Sighing, the elder wiggles down so he can lie on his small little mattress. It’s definitely not made for two people, but the two of them seem to make it work. “I’ll make it up to you some other time then,” Yunho promises before pressing a kiss to the blond’s forehead. San hums in acknowledgement, curling himself into Yunho’s side. They fall asleep like that. 

When Yunho wakes up the next morning he’s alone and late for work. The bed feels cold, and Mona is meowing at him from the door, demanding to be fed. He tries not to let the disappointment crush him as he sluggishly pulls himself out of bed and gets ready for work. When he locks the door behind him, Mingi’s words suddenly come to mind. Perhaps this is what he meant about not getting himself hurt over San again. 

  
  
  
  
  


Seonghwa doesn’t comment when he barrels through the door nearly an hour late to his shift, watching him wordlessly as he shoulders open the door to the back room. “I’m sorry,” he blurts out the second Seonghwa follows him into the back room. In all his years working at the coffee shop he’s never once been late in spite of the fact that Yunho is far from a morning person. He hopes this isn’t enough to get him fired. It should just be a write up, right? “I forgot to set my alarm and overslept.” 

“It’s okay,” Seonghwa assures him, peeking out the door to make sure there are no customers. “I understand. Things happen.” 

Yunho breathes out a sigh of relief when it seems like he’s off the hook. He yanks the apron over his head and hurries to tie it around his waist, ready to just get started and forget whatever the hell happened last night. Seonghwa stops him by the door though, grabbing him by the shoulders. “Are you okay?” he asks when Yunho steps back. 

“Huh? Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?” He tries to bypass the elder because he doesn’t want to talk about this, but Seonghwa holds his arms out to barricade the back door. 

“You’ve never been late before,” Seonghwa notes. Yunho dips his head in shame because it’s true. This is the first time he’s ever been late. 

“I know. I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.” 

Seonghwa shakes his head because that’s not what he meant. “I’m not mad at you,” he says before quickly back tracking. “Well, I mean, don’t do that again, I was worried sick and the morning rush was awful without you, but that’s not the point. It’s never happened before, so did something happen? Are you okay?” 

Yunho ducks his head down. “No and yes,” he responds without looking at the elder. “I’m fine. I just stayed up really late last night and fell asleep before I set my alarm. It won’t happen again, I promise.” 

The elder studies him quietly for a second before reluctantly stepping away from the door. “Okay,” he says though he doesn’t sound convinced. “By the way, your friend, San, showed up earlier today. He seemed really eager to see you, but you weren’t in yet.” 

“Oh.” Yunho feels his stomach twist uncomfortably. “Did he leave already?” 

“No. I made him a coffee, and he took a seat to wait for you.” 

He releases a relieved breath and wonders why he even feels relieved anyways. San had left without saying a word, hadn’t even sent him a text. Yunho couldn’t help but wonder if he had done something wrong yesterday. “Okay. Well, thanks.” 

Seonghwa nods but finally lets him go to do his job. 

San spots him as soon as he posts himself up in his usual position at the front counter and immediately jumps up to greet him. Yunho hunches his shoulder when he approaches, anxiety curling its way through his body. “Hey,” the blond greets as he reaches Yunho. “You’re here later than usual.

“Yeah, um, I forgot to set my alarm, so I woke up late.” 

The blond looks guilty at the comment, and he smiles bashfully. “Sorry about that. I suppose it was my fault. Did you sleep well at least?” 

Yunho stares at him in stunned silence for a moment, surprised that he actually mentioned last night. He half expected things to go back to normal, whatever normal was for them. “I—yeah, I did until I woke up and realized I was late for work. Then I started to panic a little.” 

“I’m really sorry,” San apologizes in a low voice. “I didn’t mean to get you into trouble.” 

“It’s okay. I think Seonghwa is letting me off the hook this time.” 

San dips his head apologetically nevertheless, expression sheepish. “I’m sorry for this morning too.” 

Yunho fidgets nervously but doesn’t say anything because he isn’t sure what to say in response. He isn’t even entirely sure what San is apologizing for. “You don’t—what are you talking about?” he finally stutters out. Honestly he expected that San wouldn’t bring it up, or, if he did, that it would be a plea to just forget about whatever happened last night. He doesn’t expect an apology of all things. 

“Well,” San stutters, finger tracing the lip of the coffee cup in his hand. “I realized this morning that it probably didn’t look good....to leave like that, I mean. I didn’t—I wasn’t trying to give you that impression.” He bites into his lip and peeks at Yunho cautiously. “Did I?” 

“Did you what?” Yunho asks dumbly. 

“Give you the wrong impression?” 

Yunho anxiously stuffs his hands into the pocket of his apron. How does he answer that? What impression  _ was _ the blond trying to give him? “I...don’t know?” he finally responds. “I figured you wanted to forget about it when I woke up this morning. Is that not what you wanted?” 

“No!” San exclaims so suddenly and loudly that Yunho jumps. He quickly calms his nerves after that. “Sorry. I just—no that’s not what I wanted at all. I just...was worried that my parents would be on my ass for staying out all night, so I went home.” It’s believable, but Yunho has a suspicion that the blond isn’t really telling him the truth. “But then I realized it probably looked bad for me to dip out on you like that, so I wanted to make sure to explain myself.” 

“So,” Yunho hesitates, struggling to wrap his mind around San’s words. “You’re okay with what happened last night?” 

“Yes!” San hunches down a little bit right after his confirmation. “I mean, as long as you are too. I want to do that again.” Yunho turns his head away to hide his blush, coughing into his fist. San also flushes in embarrassment, but, like he had last night, he squares his shoulders with determination. “Like not exactly that, just, you know—that kind of thing.” He finally ducks his head in embarrassment. 

The elder takes a moment to compose himself before he turns back to face San. “Okay,” he says, simple enough. 

San perks up. “Okay?” he repeats. 

“Yeah,” Yunho nods his head. “I’m okay with what happened, and I’d like to do that sort of thing again…” he trails off, embarrassed to be talking about this. 

Seonghwa comes out of the back room at that moment carrying a tray of baked goods between gloved hands. He shoots the two of them a suspicious look. “You guys are good, yeah?” he asks as he walks up to the little display case. 

“Yeah!” San answers for the two of them. He shoots Yunho a look, and the elder nods his head in agreement. He has no idea if they’ve figured everything out, but they’re good. He thinks that they’re good. 

  
  
  
  
  


San is a little too eager to introduce Yunho to his friend. When he comes to town the blond is immediately on Yunho’s ass, trying to coordinate a time for them to meet. Wooyoung is only supposed to be here for a week before he has to go back to their apartment in the city, so Yunho does his best to accommodate the blond because San clearly wants this to happen. They agree to meet at a little ice cream shop a couple days after Wooyoung comes. 

Yunho isn’t entirely sure why he’s nervous to meet San’s roommate, but his anxiety spikes in the afternoon on the day they’re supposed to meet up. He makes sure to leave his apartment with plenty of time to spare because, well, he doesn’t want to be late and make a bad impression? Yunho wants to smack himself. Why is he acting like this is some huge deal? San just wants to introduce his old best friend to his new best friend. That’s all. Nothing to get worked up about. 

And yet, he still finds himself showing up almost twenty minutes early. He stays in his car playing a podcast to try and take his mind off of whatever the hell is about to go down. When he has five minutes to spare, he finally slinks out of his car and into the ice cream shop. He pretends to look over their menu while he waits. 

Sure enough the bell of the door rings only a few minutes later, and Yunho turns to see San and an unfamiliar boy following after him. His stomach twists into nervous knots. “Hey,” the blond greets as he practically bounces up to Yunho. His friend follows after him. 

“Hi,” Yunho returns the greeting before giving his attention to San’s friend. “You must be Wooyoung.” 

His friend, Wooyoung, eyes Yunho up and down with a critical gaze. “Yes,” he says after observing Yunho for a moment. “And you’re Yunho, right? San talks about you all the time.” He turns his attention to San who elbows him in the side with a frown on his face. 

Yunho blinks in surprise. “He does?” he asks. 

“Oh, yeah.” Wooyoung smiles at him. “I feel like I already know you a little too well.”

Yunho’s gaze slides over to San who smiles sheepishly in return. “Good things,” he assures his friend with a little laugh. “I promise.” 

“What do you guys want?” he asks the two of them. “It’s my treat.” San protests his offer while Wooyoung eagerly orders a double scoop of strawberry ice cream. 

Wooyoung is, admittedly, easy to get along with. He’s loud and boisterous which Yunho supposes he’s used to after spending time with San, but he’s also really nice. He shares his ice cream with San and offers a bite to Yunho who refuses, feeling awkward taking anything from him. His talkative nature means that conversations never run dry either, which is nice because Yunho isn’t entirely sure how to carry on a conversation with San, let alone with someone he’s just met. At the same time, he can’t help but feel left out when the two of them talk about something from their time in university. 

By the time they part ways, Yunho can say that he likes San’s friend. He remembers all the good things San had to say about him his first year in university, and he’s glad he had someone like Wooyoung by his side. 

  
  
  
  
  


Two days later, Yunho is surprised when Wooyoung comes into the coffee shop by himself. It’s mid afternoon when he comes, and it’s not very busy. Yunho recognizes him immediately when he walks through the doors though he’s surprised San isn’t accompanying him. “You’re on your own?” he asks when Wooyoung approaches. 

“Yep. San has a commitment with his parents this afternoon, so I’m on my own for today.” Wooyoung grins at him. “I heard you worked here, so I thought I would swing by. Do you have some time to take a break?” 

Yunho cocks his head to the side in confusion. “A break?” he asks. 

“Yeah.” Wooyoung nods towards the small dining area in the coffee shop. “I’d like to talk if you have a moment.” 

The taller man shifts his weight from foot to foot and looks over his shoulder. What does Wooyoung want to talk with him about? Yunho can’t help but feel a little nervous. Still, he doesn’t want to deny his request out of fear of seeming rude. “Um, sure. Just give me a second to grab my boss. Can I get you anything in the meantime?” 

“Just a light roast coffee,” Wooyoung requests. “I’ll go find us someplace private to talk.” 

Yunho nods his head in agreement before he pokes his head into the back. “Hey, Seonghwa. I’m going to take a quick break.” 

“Okay!” Seonghwa calls out quickly rounding the corner as Yunho slips his apron over his head. When he’s ready, he brings a cup of light roast coffee out into the fairly empty dining room. He spots Wooyoung in a secluded corner by the window, and, taking a deep breath, he makes his way over to him. 

“Here,” he offers, placing the cup down in front of Wooyoung. 

“Thanks.” The other reaches out to take hold of the cup of coffee, drawing it closer to him. He blows on the hot liquid a few times before taking a test sip, jerking away with a cringe when he burns his tongue. “You know,” he says, smacking his lips a few times to test his burnt tongue. “You’re not really what I imagined based off of San’s stories.” 

Yunho sits up a little more attentively at the comment, like he’s trying to present himself properly in retrospect. “Oh. What did you think I’d be like?” 

Wooyoung hums thoughtfully, giving Yunho a once over. “More outgoing? Talkative? San always says that you’re funny and fun to be around. He has lots of hilarious stories about you, you know? But you’re pretty quiet though.” Yunho looks down at his lap, lips pulling into a frown. Should he have tried to crack some jokes the other day? He hasn’t really been able to get anyone to laugh lately though. Not even Mingi. “It’s not a bad thing,” Wooyoung tells him, smiling when the taller man looks up. “I guess I was just a little too much the other day, but I figured we would be on the same wavelength. Hope you didn’t find me too annoying.” 

“Not at all,” Yunho denies quickly. He was more energetic than Yunho can keep up with right now, and his energy seemed to feed San as well. The two of them together were a little too much for Yunho to keep up, but he hadn’t found him annoying at all. “I guess I’m just perpetually tired from working now.” He laughs hollowly. 

“Well, what I really wanted to ask is if you two are dating now.” 

Yunho blinks, not expecting that question at all. “Me?” he asks, pointing to himself. 

“Yeah.” Wooyoung starts to look worried by his response. “You and San. You guys are, like, a thing, right? You’re dating?” 

Yunho furrows his brows in confusion but internally he’s absolutely panicking. Why is Wooyoung asking him this? What does he know? Did San tell him about that night? Or the time at the lake? Or, really, just any time they’ve hung out together. “We…” he hesitates, unsure of how to answer. He doesn’t know how to describe whatever he has with San. He never really did, to be fair, so he decides to just tell the truth. “We’re not dating.” 

Wooyoung looks disappointed by his answer. “Wait, really?” he asks.

“We’ve just been hanging out.” 

The disappointment morphs into annoyance, and Yunho slumps a little in his seat. Maybe he shouldn’t have said that. “So, San hasn’t asked you out?” he clarifies. 

“Uh, no,” Yunho confirms. Was he supposed to? 

Wooyoung sighs, clearly frustrated if the way he threads his fingers through his hair is any indication. “That fucking idiot,” he mutters under his breath though Yunho struggles to even hear him. “Did he say anything to you?” he asks, voice louder this time so Yunho can hear. 

The taller man rubs the back of his neck as he contemplates that question. They’ve had plenty of conversations since San returned home, but it was all just normal stuff. Things anyone would talk about really. Yunho isn’t sure what Wooyoung means by his question. “I mean, about what?” he asks.

“Just stuff, like, to you. Or about you…” Wooyoung trails off. “He didn’t tell you about why he came back, did he?” 

“He—” Yunho pauses to ponder the question. They did discuss it a little bit, though Yunho admits that it didn’t sound like the whole story. “He said that he just needed a break from the stress,” he answers. “I’ve heard sometimes people take an academic leave because of stress and then go back to finish their degree.” 

Wooyoung sighs at his answer, and Yunho, once again, questions if he perhaps said the wrong thing again. “Yeah, something like that,” he murmurs more to himself than Yunho. “It’s not my place to tell you, but he’s not telling you everything. You guys should probably talk about it.” 

“Oh.” Yunho stares at the table top with a pensive expression. The feeling of disappointment, as it so often seems to do, settles uncomfortably in his stomach. He had a feeling San wasn’t necessarily telling him everything but figured he would with time. Hearing confirmation from Wooyoung that not only is he hiding something but that he probably  _ should _ tell Yunho only makes him feel disappointed. Disappointed that San doesn’t trust him enough to tell him, but moreso disappointed that he isn’t trustworthy enough to confide in. 

“I don’t want to pry, but are you okay?” Yunho snaps out of his thoughts at the question, turning a quizzical look to Wooyoung. 

“Yes, I’m fine,” Yunho says though it’s only a half truth. “I guess I’m just worried now a little bit. Is San okay?” 

“He’s doing fine,” Wooyoung assures him quickly. “Especially now. I think coming back home for the time being is probably best for him. Anyways, that isn’t really what I meant.” He twirls his cup around on the table before lifting it up to take a small sip. He doesn’t flinch away this time. He puts the cup back down on the table and avoids direct eye contact. “I don’t mean to bring this up if it’s a touchy subject or anything, but San told me about your accident in high school.” 

Yunho freezes in his seat. He supposes that he’s not exactly surprised or even horrified. He’s just...caught off guard that Wooyoung would bring it up out of seemingly nowhere. “Oh, uh, yeah. That happened.” He picks at his black jeans. “What did he tell you about it?” 

“Not much,” Wooyoung assures him. “I just know that it happened your senior year, and that you spent a few days in the hospital recovering from it.” Yunho nods his head slowly at his answer. “I just...sorry to bring it up if you’re uncomfortable. It’s just...San says you changed after that.” 

“Oh.” Yunho never knew that he thought that. “In a bad way?” 

Wooyoung shakes his head. “I don’t know. I just figured I’d ask if you were okay. Or if you wanted to talk about it or something. You went to the hospital and everything. It must have been pretty traumatic.” 

Yunho shakes his head, ready to tell Wooyoung that he appreciates the concern but he’s fine. There’s nothing to talk about. “It was just a small cut to the head and a minor concussion,” he says instead, reaching up to touch his forehead where sometimes he swears he can still feel phantom stitches. Then he pauses, shocked he even said that. 

San’s friend still grimaces at the detail. “I mean, at least you’re okay though, right?” 

“Yeah,” he says quietly, intending to leave it there. His lips tremble a little, and he starts talking again without even realizing it. “It was a three car accident though. The...woman in the middle car was rushed to the hospital, but she passed away a few days later.” Wooyoung stares at him, coffee half way to his lips as an awkward silence settles over them. The information isn’t really new necessarily. Mingi and San both know, but Yunho isn’t sure why he offers up that information to a stranger. 

“That’s....terrible. I didn’t know.” 

Yunho turns his gaze out the window, watching the few people passing by. “I was in the car that caused the accident. My brother was driving.” Wooyoung sets the coffee back down on the table, face twisting up as Yunho talks. “He’s been serving time for what happened but it just never seemed fair when it was my fault.” 

“Your fault?” Wooyoung asks, expression finally relaxing into one of shock. “But you weren’t driving.”

“I know, but—” Yunho hides his face behind his hands. What is he saying? And why is he saying it? He’s never told anyone about this. Not Mingi. Not San. Not even his brother. But here he is spilling his guts to someone he barely even knows, and he doesn’t know why. “I was messing with him at the time. We would just do this thing where we would mess with the radio. He had his favorite station, and I had mine. We would fight over control of the radio all the time, but it was distracting. He took his attention from the road to fight with me and didn’t notice when the cars in front of him suddenly hit the breaks.”

“You can’t actually blame yourself for causing the accident though, right?” Wooyoung asks him. “I mean, I understand your feelings, like that if you hadn’t been annoying him with the radio it wouldn’t have happened, but that’s not...it’s not like it’s actually your fault.” 

“It definitely feels like my fault though,” Yunho insists. 

Wooyoung bites his lip, staring down at his lukewarm coffee. “I mean, does your brother feel the same way?” 

“Huh?” Yunho finally turns to look at Wooyoung. He stutters, “Well—I don’t—he’s never said that I guess?” 

“Then you shouldn’t blame yourself,” Wooyoung says resolutely. “Even if it might have played a role, it’s not like you knew, or you were trying to cause it. It was an accident.” 

“But my brother took the blame for it.” 

“That’s just because of how the law works. It’s not any one person’s fault. It’s all the little things that came together to cause it, you know? And it’s not like blaming yourself does anyone any good either.” Wooyoung smiles tightly. “Anyways, I’m sorry I brought it up. I didn’t know, I swear.” 

Yunho shakes his head because as much as he’s horrified by everything he just dumped on Wooyoung, it felt oddly cathartic. “No, I’m sorry for unloading that all on you. It must have been burdensome.” 

“Oh, don’t worry about it.” Wooyoung chugs his coffee down quickly. “And don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone else about this.” 

  
  
  
  
  


Wooyoung leaves only a few days later because he has to get back to his summer job, but Yunho doesn’t find it as difficult or uncomfortable hanging out with him on his last few days in town. He finds himself able to slide more easily into their conversations, pulling a few laughs here and there with some jokes. San seems relieved by the fact that they’re getting along. At the same time, however, Yunho becomes hyper aware of the interactions between Wooyoung and San. 

It’s mostly what he expects of two close friends. They get along well, finishing each other’s sentences and sometimes seeming to communicate with their eyes alone. Still, he notices the few times Wooyoung seems to send San a meaningful look, and the way the blond would shove him away as he avoided his gaze. He wonders if that has something to do with what Wooyoung asked him about at the coffee shop before. 

“I really like him,” Yunho tells San after Wooyoung departs. 

The blond looks at him with a hopeful smile. “You do? He can be such a handful, but he’s really nice, right?” 

The elder hums in agreement. “Yeah. He seems like he’s a really good friend too. I’m glad you met someone like that.” 

“Me too.” San clings to his arm, body relaxing into Yunho’s side. They’re quiet for a moment before San speaks up, “Um, so can I come over to your place for the night? I need to talk to you about something.” 

Yunho’s heart rate picks up irrationally. “Sure,” he agrees. 

Having San over at the apartment feels normal. This is normal. Mona hisses at the blond when he tries to pet her before retreating to wherever it is that she hides from him on a day to day basis. They have dinner together and then curl up on the couch to watch TV for a little bit which also feels really normal. Even when San crawls into his lap and presses little kisses along his jawline because he’s evidently bored of watching television it still feels normal. It’s when San presses up against him, and he can feel the tell tale sign of the blond’s erection that Yunho begins to feel uncomfortable. 

Tilting his head, Yunho catches San’s lips with his own, hoping to keep his attention on the kissing. San returns the affection eagerly, licking into the elder’s mouth as he drags a hand down Yunho’s chest. His plan seems to backfire though when San’s hand settles on his hip, fingers slipping underneath his shirt to rub at the skin there. 

Yunho pulls away from him then. “Wait.” 

“Sorry,” San apologizes in a breathy voice. “I said I wanted to talk to you.” 

“You did,” he acknowledges. Slowly, San slides out of Yunho’s lap and back onto the couch, leaning his head on Yunho’s shoulder.

“We’ve been like this since high school, huh?” San remarks. 

Yunho tilts his head on top of San’s. “Yeah, I guess so,” he agrees despite not knowingly exactly what the blond is talking about. 

“Are we dating, Yunho?” 

He tenses up at the question, lifting his head from San’s and pulling away. Not enough to displace the blond but enough so that he could look down at him. That had most certainly come out of the blue. “I...don’t know,” he answers truthfully because that’s the thing about them. They’ve never really defined whatever this is. “Do you want to?” 

Frowning, the blond reaches out for Yunho’s hand, threading their fingers together. “I’ve always wanted to,” he answers without stammering or stuttering. “You know, I always just kind of assumed that’s what we were doing, back in high school and everything. But when we started to grow apart when I went to university, I realized that maybe that wasn’t the case. I was upset when I thought about it that way. I guess that’s why I was doing such a shitty job keeping in contact with you.” 

Truthfully, Yunho is at a loss of words. As much as even he admits that this conversation is long overdue, he still can’t fully believe that they’re talking about it. He wasn’t expecting San to say that he always thought they were dating. “But...you would tell me about all those dates you would go on,” Yunho points out. “I thought you were looking for something more serious in university.” 

San huffs at the accusation. “You were serious,” he says. “I just...sucked at letting you know that, I guess.” He struggles to meet the elder’s curious gaze, a little too ashamed and embarrassed. “I, uh, that was all just—I was trying to make you jealous with that shit.” 

“Oh.” Yunho actually pulls away from the blond this time. “Wait, really?” 

“Yes!” San pulls away as well, collapsing onto his side and hiding his face behind his hands. “We...weren’t really talking much, and when we did it was just stupid things. I thought that stuff would just be a way for us to talk about, well,  _ us _ again. It was stupid. I’m fucking stupid.” 

Yunho’s lips quirk up into a small smile. “You could have just said that instead, you know.” 

“I know,” San groans, voice muffled behind his hands. “I said I was stupid already, okay?” 

“So, you want to date?” Yunho clarifies. “You want to date me?” 

San peeks at him, face flushed and stomach twisting when he sees the smile on the taller man’s face. Huffing, he turns his body to lie on his stomach, hiding his face in the cushion of the sofa. “Yes,” he grumbles. “That’s what I’ve been doing. Or trying to do.” 

“Okay.” Yunho pulls San up from the couch, easily seating him back on his lap with his arms wrapped around his waist. “I didn’t know. We never talked about it being like that, so…” he trails off, feeling a little stupid himself admittedly. “Where is this coming from all of a sudden though?” He hoped for this conversation, for this clarification. It’s been a long time coming for them, but it still feels like it came from left field. 

“Wooyoung,” San mumbles quietly. 

“Wooyoung?” Yunho repeats. 

The blond’s face suddenly reddens, and he squirms in Yunho’s lap. He still remembers the absolutely furious barrage of texts his roommate sent him the night after he blew Yunho of all things. 

_ I fucking told you to sort it out with him.  _

_ That’s not the same thing as sucking his cock, moron. _

_ Did you at least ask him out before you ate his dick?  _

_ You didn’t, did you?  _

_ Are you still at his place? _

_ No? _

_ I’m going to end you when I get there, Choi San _ . 

_ You better go tell him that that wasn’t like a one time thing or something.  _

_ What do you think it’ll look like when he gets up and it looks like you just sucked him off and ditched him? _

_ Fuck. _

It had been part of the reason he showed up at the coffee shop bright and early the morning after, to make sure Yunho didn’t think he’d just left him. He honestly just felt like he might have combusted if he stayed the night, so he left to cool himself off. 

“I told him, like, everything about you. About us. And that I was sad that things didn’t seem to be going anywhere.” San reaches down to curl his own hands on top of Yunho’s. “He’s the one who made me realize this was all just kind of presumptive. That we never really talked about it.” Yunho laughs, pressing his nose into the back of San’s neck. The blond nudges him with his elbow. “Stop laughing at me,” he complains. 

“I’m sorry,” Yunho apologizes, kissing his neck apologetically. “I’m just really happy.” 

“You are?” San asks, perking up. 

“Yeah. I’ve liked you so much for such a long time.” He places more kisses along the column of San’s neck, and the blond tilts his head to accommodate him. He sighs into the sensation, eyes sliding closed. “If it makes you feel better, I feel stupid about this whole thing too. I felt like I lost you when I stayed here after high school.” 

“That is silly,” San agrees, allowing himself to stay relaxed in Yunho’s lap for a moment longer. Eventually he starts squirming again, turning himself around to face Yunho, placing his hands on his shoulders. “There’s something else I need to talk to you about though,” he tells him quietly. Yunho leans forward for one last kiss before pulling back to give the blond his attention. 

Swallowing thickly, San settles into his lap, fingers digging into Yunho’s shoulder. He seems anxious, so Yunho runs his hands up and down his back in a soothing gesture. It seems to do the trick though because San visibly relaxes, fingers letting up on their grip around his shoulder. “I never told you why I came back,” he tells him softly. “Or, why I’m coming back for the whole year.” 

“You don’t have to,” Yunho tells him, and he means it. Whatever it is, it’s San’s business. Wooyoung had also implied that something had happened, but made it clear that San would have to be the one to tell him. 

“I want to,” San insists. “Because it was—part of the reason I chose to come back was for you. To finally, like, fix whatever was going on between them.” 

Yunho relaxes back into the couch, observing San for a moment. He won’t lie and say that those words don’t perk his interest. However, San certainly didn’t need to take a whole year off to fix this. Summer still hasn’t ended yet. “Okay,” he agrees, continuing to run his hands over San’s back. 

Taking a deep breath, the blond’s eyes settle on the collar of Yunho’s shirt. “Something happened during winter,” he says. “Wooyoung and I went to a New Years Eve party at one of the fraternity houses on campus.” San had left to return to his college town not long after Christmas. Maybe this was why. “I never really did stuff my first year. It was just supposed to be a fun night out with Wooyoung to celebrate the New Year. Nothing too crazy.” He goes quiet for another moment, hands moving to rest closer to Yunho’s neck. His fingers play along his collar bone, tracing over the collar of his shirt. Yunho shivers at the touch but says nothing, waiting for San on his own time. “I never really drank too much,” he finally says seemingly out of nowhere. “I had a few drinks after high school. I’d been drunk a couple of times too, but I guess I wasn’t prepared for how crazy a college party could.” 

Yunho feels unsettled by the transition in the story. “You got really drunk?” he guesses. He himself doesn’t have too much experience in that department. He’d been drunk a few times himself but never at a party. He’d really only ever been drunk in Mingi’s presence which was an overall good time until the next morning at least. 

“So much worse than that,” San says with a laugh and shake of his head. “I passed out.” Yunho grimaces at the words, feeling sympathetic for San’s plight. “Yeah. And when I woke up I was in the hospital.” 

Yunho sucks in a sharp breath. “You woke up in the hospital?” he repeats in disbelief. 

The blond nods his head in confirmation. “Yeah. That escalated pretty quickly, didn’t it?” He smiles, but Yunho doesn’t smile with him. 

“What the hell happened that you ended up in the hospital?” 

“Nothing horrible,” San denies. “And I don’t really remember it anyways.” 

“What happened?” Yunho asks in a strained voice. 

“Wooyoung found me. We lost track of each other during the party—it was probably my fault being as drunk as I was. He was looking for me and eventually found me passed out in one of the bedrooms.” His fingers curl into Yunho’s shirt collar. “He said there was somebody on top of me, trying to take...advantage of the situation. The nurses at the hospital said I was okay, just a little dehydrated from all the drinking, but the experience really shook me up.” 

Yunho’s hands move down to San’s hips, holding him tightly there. “Who did that to you?” he demands, a hard edge to his voice. 

San shakes his head. “I don’t know. Wooyoung didn’t have any idea who he was, and I was passed out.”

“What did you do?” Yunho asks. 

“Nothing.” The blond frowns before leaning forward to press his face into Yunho’s shoulder. “The school couldn’t do anything, and the police weren’t all that helpful. It was weird. I didn’t even remember anything, and it never quite got to the point of assault, but it still felt kind of violating.” San digs his arms between Yunho and the couch, pulling him into a hug that the elder returns. “Spring semester was kind of a disaster for me after that. I kept missing classes because I couldn’t keep track of time, and my grades were dropping. I started going to the counseling office, and my therapist there was the one who suggested I take a break to try and heal from this. Then I talked to Wooyoung about it. He wasn’t sure that a leave of absence was the best, but he suggested coming here to work things out between us.” 

“I mean—” Yunho stutters a bit. “Is that what will really help you?” 

“I was already feeling pretty down because of that feeling that I was losing you. After this I felt so much worse. I’m not saying that I need this to heal or anything. It’s just something I definitely needed to do for myself. And for you.” 

“Okay. If this is what you want.” 

“Is it what you want too?” San asks nervously. 

“Yes,” Yunho answers quickly with conviction. “It’s always been what I wanted.” 

  
  
  
  
  


They eventually move to the bedroom after staying up for hours more just talking. Yunho pulls San into the room, the blond stumbling as he attaches his mouth to the juncture of Yunho’s neck and shoulder, sucking a bruise over there. Yunho curses, one hand moving from the blond’s him to the back of his head to hold him in place as he groans. 

It’s an awkward descent to the floor where Yunho has set up his mattress. He attempts to lower them both gently, but San’s weight on him causes him to crash backwards, head thankfully knocking into the mattress. San’s hands momentarily leave their spot on his arms and shoulder to catch himself as well, knees knocking painfully into the floor. He barely lets up for a second though, only pulling back enough so that he can lean up and nibble on Yunho’s lower lip. 

The elder pants into his mouth. With one arm around San’s waist he struggles to reposition them. Eventually he flips them around. San lands on his side on the mattress, quickly rolling onto his back and lifting himself up just enough that he can fist his hands into Yunho’s shirt, pulling the taller man in closer. They don’t miss a beat, lips meeting in another heated kiss. Yunho swallows all the little moans and sighs San releases as the blond’s hands roam all over his chest. His fingers eventually find their way under his shirt, exploring his body without the barrier. 

Yunho pulls away with a little gasp, licking at his lips and staring down at San lying beneath him. His blond strands are all spread out on the dark sheets below them, his cheeks are flushed and his lips are all red and swollen. He makes a pretty sight. When Yunho fails to move, San whines, tugging the hem of his shirt up to expose his stomach. Taking the hint, Yunho helps pull his own shirt off before easily ridding the blond of his own. 

He pushes the blond back down on his back, lips attaching to his neck and tracing his jawline with kisses. San lets his own hands roam over Yunho’s bare skin, thumbing over his ribcage for a second before traveling higher. Yunho moans against his neck when his fingers start circling over his nipples. 

“You’re gonna kill me,” Yunho gasps into his ear.

“Don’t be so dramatic,” San murmurs back, fingers running down his torso to the hem of his pants. 

Yunho pulls back a little at that, and San makes a noise of complaint. The elder isn’t having any of it though. “Can I touch you this time too?” 

“Huh?” The blond blinks up at him. 

“Last time you didn’t want me to touch you.” 

“Oh.” San supposes that is true. It hadn’t felt right at the time, and a part of him was scared to let Yunho touch him. Now, though, he’s a little more desperate and all he wants is to feel Yunho’s body against his. “Yes,he answers, reaching out for the taller man. “Yes, you can. So please just—”

Yunho interrupts him with a brief kiss before pulling away. “I’ll be right back,” he murmurs against San’s lips. Despite the blond’s little whimpers and cries of protest he pulls away from San, getting to his feet. He doesn’t say anything else as he leaves the room, and the blond huffs in annoyance. 

Yunho really doesn’t go far, just to the bathroom across the hallway because that was the last place he remembers seeing a bottle of lube. It takes him a moment of digging through the drawers of the vanity to find it though. Grabbing the bottle he quickly makes his way back to the bedroom, freezing at his doorway because San managed to completely strip himself while he was gone, and now Yunho comes back to the sight of him playing with himself. He clears his throat awkwardly, drawing the blond’s attention to him. He lifts his head up just the slightest bit to look at Yunho in the doorway, immediately dropping it back down and arching his back as he moans. “Where did you go?” he asks. 

“I needed to get something.” Yunho can’t take his eyes off the blond as he approaches, kneeling next to the mattress. San doesn’t stop playing with himself as he tilts his chin up looking for a kiss. Yunho gives in easily, resting his elbows on either side of San’s head so that he can lean down and kiss. The blond hums, hips jerking up as he chases his own pleasure. 

Yunho moves one hand down to touch San himself. The blond’s hands fall away at Yunho’s touch, spreading his legs further apart so that Yunho can settle more comfortably over him. A long groan escapes him which Yunho muffles with his lips. Pulling back, he admires the blond splayed out beneath him. His skin is flushed a pretty shade of pink and his fingers fist into the sheets by his head. 

“You’re pretty,” Yunho murmurs. San blushes and shudders at the compliment, knees digging into Yunho’s sides. Undeterred, the elder reaches for the bottle of lube he retrieved, pouring a generous amount on his fingers and rubbing his hands together to warm it up. 

“Are you going to fuck me?” San asks shyly despite the vulgarity of his words. 

Yunho pauses to look at him. “Do you want me to?”

San hesitates before nodding his head. “I do,” he replies in a whisper. “I’m kind of scared though. I don’t know.” 

“Don’t be. We can wait for that.” Yunho brings one hand down between San’s legs, fingers tracing over his hole. The blond instinctively tenses up at the feeling, muscles clenching. “We have a whole year together, after all.” He strokes his finger over San repeatedly, mildly amused by the way he consistently tenses and relaxes at the touch. Eventually he finally relaxes his body, practically melting into the mattress as Yunho continues to circle his rim. His eyes slide shut and he bites his bottom lip, hips rolling down into the sensation. 

A gasp escapes him when Yunho finally sinks a digit into him, head tilting back as his fingers twist into the sheets. “Are you okay?” Yunho asks, his other hand reaching up to circle around the base of the blond’s cock.

“Yeah,” San responds in a strained voice, his hips bucking up into Yunho’s fist. “I feel great. I feel…” he trails off as his body goes lax into the sheet. Experimentally, Yunho pumps his finger in and out a few times, watching San’s reaction closely, though the blond does little more than sigh at the sensation. 

“Tell me if it hurts,” he requests. 

“I will.” The blond hums before a noise of surprise is pulled from his throat when Yunho presses another finger into him. He squirms. It doesn’t hurt really, just feels weird. Doesn’t quite feel good either, but then Yunho starts to pump his cock in rhythm with his fingers sliding in and out of him. The wet glide along his shaft is what makes his body jolt, thighs quivering in pleasure. “Feels good,” he murmurs, rolling his hips up into Yunho’s hand. 

The elder hums as he leisurely continues at his own pace. “Does it?” he asks. He curls his finger up, the pads of it pressing against something spongy. San’s body locks up as a gasp escapes him. Yunho pulls his fingers back a little, and he immediately relaxes into the sheets again. 

“Fuck,” the blond curses, struggling between sinking his hips down on Yunho’s fingers or bucking them up into his fist. “That felt really good.” The corner of Yunho’s lips quirk up into a little smile. Wordlessly, he presses his fingers back into the same spot, fingers forming a tight ring around the base of the blond’s cock. San cries out at the action, hands flying down to grab Yunho’s wrist. He doesn’t try to pull the other’s hand from his length, just holds onto him as a string of gasps and moans and curses fall from his lips. 

“Oh, my God,” he groans, abdomen tightening as a fire seems to brew in his pelvis. “I’m close. I’m close. Yunho—” He moves his hands from Yunho's wrist up to his face, pulling him down for a kiss. Yunho runs his tongue along the seam of San’s lips before licking inside. He doesn’t let up with his fingers, fucking them relentlessly into the blond. The younger man pulls away from Yunho with a loud moan. “I’m going to come,” he murmurs against Yunho’s lips, fingers digging into his hair. 

“Okay.” Yunho catches his bottom lip in a short kiss. “I bet you’ll look so pretty when you come.” 

That seems to do it. The blond’s head drops back onto the mattress, chin tilting up with a moan as his abdomen convulses. His knees lock tight against Yunho’s waist, and a long drawn out moan falls from his lips as he comes. His release paints over his lower abdomen, coating Yunho’s hands as well. The blond doesn’t seem to know what to do with his hands as they fall from Yunho’s hair. He fists his own blond strands as his back arches up off the bed, but then they fall away, twisting into the bed sheets instead. 

Yunho thinks to reach out to hold onto his hands but thinks better of it because they’re covered in lube and cum, so he works San through it instead. The blond shivers at the overstimulation, but he goes boneless on the mattress, unable to do much more than moan in protest. Finally Yunho releases his hold on San’s cock and his fingers slip out of his hole. The blond finally stills, for the most part, only his chest heaving as he struggles to catch his breath. His eyelids droop a little as well as a bout of sleepiness washes over him. 

“Wait,” he says, struggling up onto his elbows. “What about you?” Yunho pushes him onto his back, one hand planted beside the blond’s head to hold him up, the other moving quite furiously between his legs. San isn’t sure exactly when Yunho pulled himself out of his pants, but he reaches down to try and help. Yunho just slaps him away though before returning to pumping himself, eyebrows furrowed together. “I can help,” San whines. 

“You can,” Yunho agrees through a small moan. “Just lie there and look pretty for me.” 

The blond blushes at the command, unsure of what exactly that means. “Okay…” he stutters. Apparently, looking pretty doesn’t really involve much on San’s end. The two of them just look at each other, Yunho’s breaths becoming exceedingly heavier as he nears his orgasm. Yunho leans down to press a kiss to San’s lips, muffling his own groan as he comes, cum painting San’s thigh and hip. He sighs in relief against the blond’s lips before reluctantly pulling away. 

“We should clean up,” Yunho murmurs, eyes tracing down San’s body and resting on his lower body covered in both of their cum. He also can’t ignore how slippery with lube his own hands are. 

San hums in agreement and lifts his arms up in a silent request. “Carry me,” he demands. 

With a laugh, Yunho digs his hands underneath San’s shoulders. It takes a moment of struggling, but he manages to pick up the blond easily enough before carrying him into the bathroom. If they spend more time than necessary just making out underneath the running water, nobody has to know. But when Yunho emerges, hair wet but skin clean, he spots Mona staring at him from around the corner of the hallway. He can’t help but feel that her gaze is just a tad bit judgmental. 

  
  
  
  
  


“Thanks for the croissants,” Hongjoong says with too much cheer. 

Yunho isn’t sure he can blame him though. He always brings along some kind of treat for his brother because Hongjoong often complained about all the foods he missed but couldn’t get access to, and Seonghwa was nice about him taking home anything that didn’t sell. “It’s nothing special,” he says with a little dismissive wave of his hand and a bashful smile. 

The elder brother pulls the croissant in half and takes a small bite out of one of the halves. “It’s heaven,” Hongjoong agrees with a sigh of content. 

“Well, I’m glad it made you happy,” Yunho jokes. 

Hongjoong takes another bite of his croissant, a thoughtful look on his face as he stares at his younger brother. “What about you then?” he asks once he swallows. 

Yunho blinks at him. “What do you mean?” 

“You seem happier than usual,” the elder notes, setting his uneaten half down on the table. 

Yunho brushes his bangs from his eyes self consciously. His face heats up as he thinks about exactly why that might be. Admittedly, he is a lot happier than usual, but he hadn’t really exactly been planning on telling Hongjoong why. He isn’t sure why he hadn’t planned on talking about it; he just hadn’t. “I don’t know what you mean. I feel the same as always.” 

“That’s such a lie,” Hongjoong snorts. “What happened?” 

Crossing his arms on top of the table, Yunho leans his weight onto them. “I told you San came back, right?” He asks because he isn’t entirely sure if he told Hongjoong the last time they met. 

Hongjoong nods his head. “Yeah. For the summer, yeah?” 

“He needed some time off from school, so he’s actually here for the year.” 

“Did something happen?” he asks, brows furrowed in concern. 

Yunho shakes his head because he’s not going to say when it’s not his place. “Yeah. Something. Anyways, we reconnected a little.” 

“Oh?” 

“Yeah.” Yunho looks down at the table shyly. He takes a moment to gather himself before he finally clears his throat. “We’re, uh, dating now.” 

Hongjoong freezes, croissant at his lips. “Dating?” he asks, one eyebrow raised. “Like actually dating or whatever-the-hell-you-guys-were-up-to-in-high-school dating?” 

Yunho’s face heats up in embarrassment at the question. “Um,” he scratches his arms nervously. “Both, I guess.” It’s kind of true. They really are still doing the same shit as they did back in high school, but it feels better now. More comfortable between them. “He asked me out.” 

“He did?” Hongjoong doesn’t seem so much surprised as he seems happy. 

“Yeah.” Yunho looks away bashfully. 

“So what are you going to do now?” 

Yunho looks around the little visitor facility that he’s grown used to over the years. It’ll be only a year longer before Hongjoong will be released. He can go back to his old life, to the apartment Yunho’s been maintaining for him and Mona who’s probably missed him. “Nothing is set, but there’s a lot of things I’m thinking about for the future.” 

With a smile, Hongjoong rests his chin in his hands. “You’re finally moving on, huh?” 

“I was never stuck,” Yunho denies even though it is true. The two brothers share a small smile between them. “But things are definitely looking better.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Am I satisfied by the ending? No
> 
> Am I bothered? eh lol


End file.
